bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between body-image and body-fat in adult women
Authors: Brodie D. A. , Slade P. D.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Measures of body-fat or adiposity, body-image, and other psychological variables were obtained from a sample of 100 female volunteer subjects. The measures of adiposity included surface anthropometry, underwater weighing and a new electrical impedance method. Body-image measures were derived from two experimental techniques, namely the visual-size estimation (or calliper) method and a distorting-mirror, and also from a self-report body-satisfaction scale (BSS).

The main findings were that measures of adiposity were positively and significantly related to each other. But, that by contrast, measures of body-image separated out into three distinct sets, namely: (i) ‘mirror’ accuracy, (2) ‘callipers’ accuracy, and (3) ‘dissatisfaction/desire for change’. The ‘accuracy’ measures were found to be unrelated to measures of adiposity or other psychological variables: while the ‘dissatisfaction’ measures were found to relate to both of these. The implications of these findings for future studies of weight and eating disorder groups are discussed.
Psychiatric symptoms and related factors in a sample of Japanese workers
Authors: Iwata Noboru , Okuyama Yuko , Kawakami Yoshikazu , Saito Kazuo
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A survey was conducted to investigate the presence of psychiatric symptoms and associated factors affecting psychiatric impairment among 2190 Japanese tax workers. The Japanese translated version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used as a measure of psychiatric symptomatology. Several sociodemographic and psychosocial factors (interpersonal factors and perceived stress) were examined as being related to psychiatric impairment. As with all other language versions, the percentage distribution of the GHQ scores was considerably skewed. Females exhibited more psychiatric symptoms than males. No significant differences were found among four age-groups for both sexes. Perceived stress related to the workplace was correlated more with psychiatric impairment than with other psychosocial factors. It was also observed that the ‘long-distance marriage’ (‘business bachelorhood’) peculiar to Japanese occupations had little influence on the impairment levels.
The Werther effect after television films: new evidence for an old hypothesis
Authors: Schmidtke A. , Häfner H.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In this study it was possible to prove the Werther effect in suicides after watching fictional models for the first time. A twice-broadcast (1981, 1982) six-episode weekly serial showing the railway suicide of a 19-year-old male student provided a quasi-experimental ABABA design to investigate differential effects of suicide imitation. Imitation effects were most clearly observable in the groups whose age and sex were closest to those of the model. Over extended periods (up to 70 days after the first episode), the number of railway suicides increased most sharply among 15- to 19-year-old males (up to 175%); the effect steadily decreased in the older age groups, so that no effect was observable for males over 40 years and females over 30 years. Also, the imitation effects remained detectable for longer periods in the groups closest in age to the model. The increases observed after the first and second broadcast for males aged > 30 years closely corresponded with the respective audience figures for the two showings.
Age and recognition of depression: implications for a cohort effect in major depression
Authors: Hasin Deborah , Link Bruce
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Studies relying on subjects' retrospective reports have recently been interpreted as indicating that individuals born since World War II are at increased risk for a diagnosis of lifetime major depression. Examining the validity of this ‘cohort effect’ is essential, given the potential importance of such a phenomenon for research and policy. Among a number of artefactual explanations for the cohort effect is the possibility that older individuals are less likely to recognize depression as a mental disorder, and hence are less likely to remember depressive episodes as such, or to report these episodes in interviews on mental health. To test whether age was related to the recognition of major depression as a mental problem, we analysed responses from 152 randomly selected community residents on whether a vignette describing DSM-III major depression represented a psychological or emotional problem. Older respondents were much less likely to characterize major depression this way, even controlling for other factors. Such an age effect may provide a partial explanation for the apparent cohort effect, although the issue is complex and further research is needed.
Obsessive-compulsive beliefs and treatment outcome
Authors: Lelliott P. T. , Noshirvani H. F. , Başoǧlu M. , Marks I. M. , Monteiro W. O.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Of 49 compulsive ritualizers one-third perceived their obsessive thoughts as rational and felt that their rituals warded off some unwanted or feared event (the content of their obsessions). The more bizarre the obsessive belief the more strongly it was defended and 12% of cases made no attempt to resist the urge to ritualize. Neither fixity of belief nor resistance to compulsive urges were related to duration of illness. Patients with bizarre and fixed obsessive beliefs responded as well to treatment (all but three received exposure), as did patients whose obsessions were less bizarre and recognized as senseless. There was no difference in outcome between patients who initially found it hard to control their obsessions or never resisted the urge to ritualize and those who initially could control obsessions or resist rituals. One year after starting treatment, patients whose obsessions and compulsions had improved with treatment recognized their irrationality more readily and controlled their compulsive urges more easily. Beliefs appeared to normalize as a function of habituation.
Relationship of health and demographic characteristics to Mini-Mental State Examination score among community residents
Authors: Fillenbaum G. G. , Hughes D. C. , Heyman A. , George L. K. , Blazer D. G.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Mini-Mental State findings from an age 60+ random community sample (N = 1681) indicate that score is related to education, age and race (but not sex) and to functional status, but not to selected aspects of physical or mental health. Adjustment for demographic characteristics, particularly education, is recommended lest cognitive impairment be overestimated.
Educational level differences on the Mini-Mental State: the role of test bias
Authors: Jorm A. F. , Scott R. , Henderson A. S. , Kay D. W. K.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Less educated elderly people are commonly found to perform more poorly on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). This educational level difference has been attributed by some research workers to test bias. To assess whether the MMSE is biased against the poorly educated, its validity was assessed separately in the more- and less-educated members of a community sample. No evidence was found to indicate that the test is a biased measure of cognitive impairment.
The specificity of DSM-III schizotypal personality traits
Authors: Squires-Wheeler Elizabeth , Skodol Andrew E. , Friedman David , Erlenmeyer-Kimling L.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The rate of DSM-III schizotypal personality traits was evaluated in three groups of adolescent offspring (ages 15–21), defined by the psychiatric diagnosis of their parents. Parental diagnoses included schizophrenic disorder (40 adolescents), affective disorder (35 adolescents), and ‘no psychiatric disorder’ (normal controls) parents (82 adolescents). The presence of the eight component features of schizotypal personality disorder was assessed from video-taped semi-structured psychiatric interviews, subsequently rated by trained psychiatrists, blind to the parental psychiatric status of the subjects. The effect of age, sex, and social class on the pattern of prevalence results was examined.

The expected specificity of DSM-III schizotypal personality traits to schizophrenia was not supported by the prevalence pattern of the traits. Rates of 2 or more, 3 or more, and 4 or more schizotypal personality features were highest in the parental psychiatric groups. The rates of schizotypal personality traits in adolescent offspring of affective disorder parents were as high as those previously reported for relatives of schizophrenic disorder probands.
Bradyphrenia in parkinsonism: a historical review
Authors: Rogers Daniel
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The development over the last 60 years of the concept of bradyphrenia, a syndrome including slowing of cognitive processing in parkinsonism, is described. Psychic akinesia and subcortical dementia are seen as more recent synonyms for this syndrome. Its relations to akinesia and the psychomotor retardation of depression are considered in a historical context, as are its implications for the relation of neurological and psychiatric disorder.
Presbyophrenia: the rise and fall of a concept
Authors: Berrios G. E.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The history of the concept of presbyophrenia is traced from its inception in 1863 to the present day. Early in the twentieth century it was used to refer to a subtype of dementia characterized by confabulations, marked memory impairment, hyperactivity, disorientation, elevated mood and preserved social graces. At the time it was considered to be either a form of Korsakoff's psychosis or a subtype of senile dementia. The decline of the concept started in the 1920s and was precipitated by the redefinition of dementia in terms of impaired cognition, cortical symptomatology and specific neuropathological changes.

Three explanations for the curious combination of symptoms characterizing presbyophrenia were then suggested: toxic-delirious states, manic illness in late life, or a combination of cerebrovascular disease and senile dementia. It is suggested that the dismissal of presbyophrenia could have been premature as it may capture a behavioural phenocopy of relevance to clinical practice.
Hysteria — a neurologist's view
Authors: Marsden C. D.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Hysterical symptoms are defined as complaints that are not fully explained by organic or functional neurological disease. Hysterical symptoms are common in neurological practice, accounting for about 1% of neurological diagnoses. Of those with neurological hysterical symptoms, about 80% will not have the hysterical personality, and about 80% will not have Briquet's hysteria. Some 60% will have a physical disease and perhaps as many as 50% will have recognizable psychiatric illness, particularly depression. Others may have unrecognized physical or psychiatric illness. Many hysterical symptoms may be understood in terms of abnormal illness behaviour.
Down's Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease: a review
Authors: Oliver C. , Holland A. J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Neuropathological change found in nearly all individuals with Down's Syndrome over the age of 35 years closely resembles that of Alzheimer's disease. The extent to which dementia occurs as a result of this change is unclear, and the studies which have investigated presumed cognitive deficits are reviewed. The theories put forward to explain the association between these two disorders and their possible significance to the understanding of the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease are discussed.
A pilot study of erythrocyte choline flux and content in affective disorders
Authors: Uney J. B. , Duggan C. , Marchbanks R. M. , Jacoby R.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Choline influx and choline content were measured in healthy volunteers (N = 36), patients with unipolar affective disorder (N = 28), and bipolar patients before and during treatment with lithium (N = 14, N = 13 respectively). Erythrocyte choline content was not found to be significantly elevated in any of the groups studied, except in patients taking lithium. Choline influx into the erythrocytes of healthy controls was found to decrease with increasing age, while choline influx into lithiated erythrocytes increased with increasing age in patients. An inverse relationship between erythrocyte choline influx and content was found to exist only in the erythrocytes of elderly healthy volunteers (≥ 60 years old).
The utility of latent trait models in psychiatric epidemiology
Authors: Duncan-Jones P. , Grayson D. A. , Moran P. A. P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Latent trait modelling is a recent psychometric technique with great potential for the construction and refinement of psychiatric instruments. It provides a greater insight into the nature of measurement in psychiatry and the statistical machinery for improving it. This expository paper starts with a non-technical outline of the latent trait model, gives a detailed analysis of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and examines points raised by the empirical analysis through computer simulation. It is shown that the latent trait model can give a good representation of empirical data and uncover new aspects of a familiar instrument. It provides a precise methodology for evaluating the functioning of a questionnaire and for developing better short instruments. It highlights the need, and provides the means, to tailor instruments for different tasks, such as (a) screening, and (b) measuring over the whole range of the population. We examine scoring in the light of the model, and show that simple scoring is often adequate. While points for further methodological development are noted, it is argued that the method is already sufficiently developed for general application.
Psychological deviance in children attending general practice
Authors: Garralda M. E. , Bailey D.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Parental questionnaires identified 22% of children aged 7–12 years attending 8 general practices as psychologically deviant. Most attended for physical complaints. A comparison with general population rates showed that deviant children were over-represented among surgery attenders, particularly in the more socially advantaged areas. This finding may be explained through (1) an excess of somatic symptoms in deviant children; (2) increased parental concern about the child's health as an extension of concern about his behaviour; (3) family stress. These possibilities are discussed.
Past and Present State Examination: the assessment of ‘lifetime ever’ psychopathology
Authors: McGuffin Peter , Katz Randy , Aldrich Julie
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A Past History Schedule (PHS) for use in conjunction with the Present State Examination (PSE) is described. The PHS/PSE interview enables a rating of ‘lifetime ever’ psychopathology to be performed. It provides good inter-rater reliability, as well as a satisfactory agreement between retrospective interviews and casenote-based assessment of past psychopathology. The PHS has been devised specifically for use in a family-genetic study of affective illness, but the general approach may be applicable to other categories of psychiatric disorder.
Food craving, mood and the menstrual cycle
Authors: Bancroft John , Cook Ann , Williamson Lynn
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Seventy-six women, with a mean age of 35–7 years, who reported premenstrual craving for sweet foods in a retrospective questionnaire, were assessed prospectively with a pre- and postmenstrual eating questionnaire and daily ratings of craving, mood, irritability and breast tenderness over two menstrual cycles.

In 72 % of these women a perimenstrual pattern of food craving was confirmed. In 13 % this craving was confined to the menstrual phase. There was no consistent association between food craving and mood change, either in timing or severity. Women with more severe mood change did not report more severe craving. There was also no association between food craving and cyclical breast tenderness. Perimenstrual food craving, therefore, appears to be a cyclical phenomenon in its own right, of uncertain aetiology and worthy of further study.
Drug response patterns as a basis of nosology for the mood-incongruent psychoses (the schizophrenias)
Authors: Garver David L. , Kelly Kathleen , Fried Karen A. , Magnusson Mary , Hirschowitz Jack
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Interaction of therapeutic drugs with a series of different biopathological substrates of psychosis might be expected to generate a series of different response patterns. Herein the authors suggest that multi-modal response patterns following lithium and neuroleptic treatment of psychotic patients may aid in resolving the heterogeneity of psychotic disorders and lead to a new nosology of the psychoses.
Symptom complaints, psychiatric disorder and abnormal illness behaviour in patients with upper abdominal pain
Authors: Colgan Stephen , Creed Francis , Klass Howard
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Seventy patients presenting to the gastroenterologist with upper abdominal pain were examined by a psychiatrist to establish the presence of psychiatric disorder, illness behaviour and to record in detail their symptom pattern. The 37 patients who had no organic cause for their abdominal complaints were subdivided into those with and without psychiatric disorder. The former (21 patients) demonstrated more illness behaviour, they complained of more abdominal symptoms and their pain was both more severe and more persistent than in the patients with organic disease and those with non-organic illness who did not have psychiatric disorder. The latter group reported no symptoms of ‘psychoneurosis’ and should probably be regarded as a separate group if the aetiology of functional abdominal pain is to be clarified. Those with non-organic abdominal complaints who had psychiatric illness could be distinguished by the presence of three symptoms, namely depression, anxiety and fatigue. Detection and treatment of their psychiatric disorder might lead to a decrease in their symptomatic complaints and illness behaviour.
Depression and anxiety in unemployed men
Authors: Eales M. J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Psychiatric status and psychosocial variables were assessed in a group of 80 unemployed men. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed using the Present State Examination and ‘caseness’ rated according to the Bedford College criteria. Among men who were normal at the time of job loss, 14% developed a ‘case’ disorder and a further 17% a ‘borderline case’ disorder over the first 6 months of unemployment. These rates are similar to those found in studies concerned with a wider range of severe life events. An increased risk of onset was associated with three factors: lack of an intimate relationship with a wife or girlfriend, trait shyness, and preexisting economic difficulties.
Mortality in eating disorders
Authors: Patton G. C.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Crude mortality rates and mortality rates standardized against a British reference population have been calculated for a group of 460 consecutive patients with eating disorders seen between 1971 and 1981 in a tertiary referral centre for eating disorders. Crude mortality rates were 3·3% and 3·1% in the anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa groups respectively. Standardized rates demonstrated a six-fold increase in mortality in the anorexia nervosa group. The most common cause of death in this group was found to be suicide, with the risk of death remaining high for at least eight years after initial assessment. Specific associations of increased mortality were: being in the lowest weight group at the time of presentation, and having recurrent hospital admissions for eating problems.
The value of an improved scoring system (CGHQ) for the General Health Questionnaire in a representative community sample
Authors: Huppert Felicia A. , Gore Mauvis , Elliott B. Jane
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The value of a new method of scoring the General Health Questionnaire (CGHQ) has been assessed in a representative sample of 6317 British community residents aged 18 +. The CGHQ, which takes account of the chronicity of psychiatric symptoms, is found to be superior to the conventional scoring method in yielding a wider range of scores, a more normal distribution and in its close association to a well validated measure of neurotic illness.

On the other hand, the conventional GHQ and the CGHQ score appear equally sensitive to a number of socio-demographic variables, including social class, marital status and employment. An important finding is that the two methods identify different individuals as cases. Compared with the GHQ, the CGHQ identifies a higher proportion of the middle-aged. The implications of these findings with respect to the optimal method of scoring the GHQ are discussed.
Performance effects of diazepam during and after prolonged administration
Authors: Brosan Lee , Broadbent Donald , Nutt David , Broadbent Margaret
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Seven volunteers received diazepam for a 3-week period, maximum dose rate 25 mg per day, and were tested on a variety of functions before, at two points during, and at two points after the period. Their performance was compared with that of 8 controls and was inferior on a number of measures. There was no indication either of habituation or of potentiation of the effects as the period continued. Equally, the low performance persisted for some time after administration ceased, although performance was on the whole better than during the experimental period. The particular measures showing deterioration suggested that the effects are similar to those of barbiturates as opposed to those of, for example, chlorpromazine.
Patterns of psychiatric diagnosis in general practice: the Second National Morbidity Survey
Authors: Dunn Graham
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Multidimensional scaling, in the form of principal coordinates analysis and two-way correspondence analysis, is used to illustrate inter-practice variation in patterns of psychiatric diagnoses provided by data from the longitudinal file of the Second National Morbidity Survey. The results strongly support the view that general practitioners' diagnostic habits should be validated before their records are used to provide data on ‘official’ estimates of psychiatric morbidity. It is recommended that, whatever the quality of the data, large tables of official socio-economic or medical statistics should be supplemented by graphical summaries, as they quite often are in France.
General practitioners' selection of patients for treatment in community psychiatric services
Authors: Munk-Jørgensen Povl
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a Danish community psychiatric service the patients referred from general practitioners (GPs) to the community psychiatric service (CPS) are compared with matched individuals with conspicuous psychiatric morbidity treated in general practice only. The psychopathology of the referred patients is more severe, as estimated by two different methods. They make fewer social contacts and their work situations are unfavourable. It was found that to a great extent the GPs refer their patients with mental disorders to the CPS so that the ‘filter’ between the GP and the CPS is very permeable. Of the patients treated by the GPs only (the matched group), no more than 54% were assessed by a psychiatrist as psychiatric ‘cases’. Psychopathology thus only partly determines the GPs' assessment of psychiatric ‘caseness’, in which social impairment plays an important part. The GPs diagnose more mental disorder than the psychiatrists, possibly because of an intimate acquaintance with the anamnesis.
Comparative study of the prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes among Arab female students of both London and Cairo Universities
Authors: Nasser Mervat
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Two matched samples of Arab female undergraduate students attending London and Cairo Universities were recruited to determine the relative prevalence of abnormal eating attitudes and the effect of exposure to Western culture upon this prevalence. A positive response was reported on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40) in 22% of the students in the London group and 12% in the Cairo group, indicating that abnormal attitudes occur in this non-Western population. Six cases among the London sample fulfilled diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa, but no cases of either anorexia or bulimia were identified in the Cairo sample.
Completed suicide and criminality: lack of a direct relationship
Authors: Modestin Jiri , Emmenegger Pierre-Alain
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A comparison was made of the crime rate among 181 suicides and 181 controls, representing an unselected sample of the population matched with the suicides for sex, age, marital status, place of residence and occupational level. Sixteen per cent of the suicides and 11% of the controls had a criminal record, a statistically insignificant difference. In addition, no significant differences were found in the proportion of recidivists and of violent offenders, or in the number of their offences and convictions. A significant difference was found regarding the distribution of the offences by particular laws: more than a half of the offences committed by criminal suicides concerned violations of the road traffic laws, this being in agreement with the hypothesis that risky, accident-prone behaviour is a suicidal behaviour equivalent.
‘Schizoid’ personality and antisocial conduct: a retrospective case note study
Authors: Wolff Sula , Cull Ann
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A retrospective case note analysis for 30 boys diagnosed as having a ‘schizoid’ personality disorder (Asperger's syndrome) in childhood, and for 30 matched clinic attenders (with systematic follow-up data for 19 matched pairs), showed the incidence of antisocial conduct to be the same in the two groups. However, the ‘schizoid’ boys stole less often and had fewer alcohol problems. In this group antisocial conduct was less related to family disruption and social disadvantage, and more to an unusual fantasy life. Clinical descriptions of a series of ‘schizoid’ boys and girls with conspicuous antisocial conduct follow. They suggest that characteristic patterns of antisocial conduct in such children are persistent expressions of hostility and, especially in girls, pathological lying, for which environmental circumstances provide no explanation.
The reliability and validity of PSE assessments by lay interviewers: a national population survey
Authors: Rodgers Bryan , Mann Sheila A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Studies employing psychiatric rating instruments administered by lay interviewers need to demonstrate the reliability and validity of subject classification. In a national population study utilizing the short form of the Present State Examination, audiotapes of interviews were used to demonstrate the reliability of ratings. The classification of ‘cases’ was found to be related to self-reports of nervous trouble and help–seeking for such problems. Associations between the rate of psychiatric disorder and demographic factors were similar to those found in previous community surveys. In general, the method of psychiatric assessment was considered to be satisfactory. Recommendations are made for the monitoring of interviews in similar large-scale investigations.
Mental illness and the late Victorians: a study of patients admitted to three asylums in York, 1880–1884
Authors: Renvoize Edward B. , Beveridge Allan W.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The case histories of the patients newly admitted to the Retreat Asylum in York between 1880–1884 were examined. Most patients were aged under 50 years, single and non-Quaker, and a majority satisfied the Research Diagnostic Criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia or affective disorder. It was found that 72·9% of the patients were deluded, the most common delusions being of persecution, grandeur and guilt; in 34·9% of the deluded patients, the delusion had a religious content. Suicidal ideation was recorded in the case records of 31·4% of the patients. Drug therapy was commonly prescribed, a history of assault on other patients or asylum staff was recorded in 38·1% of the patients, and 11% of patients were force fed at some stage during their illness. Within a year of admission 49·1% of the patients were discharged, the prognosis being better for patients with an affective illness than for schizophrenia, but 31·4% remained in the asylum for five or more years.

The characteristics, alleged causes of mental illness, and treatment and outcome of the Retreat patients were compared with those of patients admitted during the same period to the two other York asylums which served different socio-economic groups of the population. Mortality rates were higher in the asylum admitting mainly pauper patients, and possible reasons for this are explored.
Rich and mad in Victorian England
Authors: Turner Trevor
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Clinical analyses of 19th century psychiatric practice have been limited by the paucity of available records. Using the richly detailed casebooks of Ticehurst House Asylum, it was possible to study over 600 admissions and assess them using the Research Diagnostic Criteria. Over 80% of cases conformed to recognizable psychiatric illness, mainly schizophrenia and manicdepressive psychosis. Movement disorder, often equivalent to tardive dyskinesia, was noted in nearly one-third of schizophrenics. Violence, masturbation and severe psychopathology were also common features. The implications of these findings in terms of treatment, diagnosis and the rise of the asylum are discussed.
Clinical validity
Authors: Kendell R. E.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Few psychiatric disorders have yet been adequately validated and it is still an open issue whether there are genuine boundaries between the clinical syndromes recognized in contemporary classifications, or between these syndromes and normality. In the long run validation depends on the elucidation of aetiological processes. There are, however, a number of strategies which clinicians could use, but at present rarely do, in order to improve and validate existing classifications. Most of these involve studying populations which have been deliberately chosen to represent a broader grouping than a single diagnostic category, or even a group of related categories.
Diagnostic grammar and assessment: translating criteria into questions
Authors: Robins Lee N.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

There has been concern about whether standardized psychiatric interviews make valid diagnoses. Agreements between the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), as an example of a standardized interview, with independent assessments by a clinician are reasonably high in most studies, but the clinical assessment is itself of uncertain validity. Using predictive ability is an alternative way of judging validity. Data are presented to show that the DIS is almost as good at prediction as a clinician's assessment, but here too there are problems. Because prediction is probabilistic (i.e. the same disorder can have multiple outcomes, and different disorders can share outcomes), it is not possible to say how good prediction has to be to demonstrate perfect validity.

Across varied methods of validity assessment, some disorders are regularly found more validly diagnosed than others, suggesting that part of the source of invalidity lies in the diagnostic grammar of the systems whose criteria standardized interviews evaluate. Sources of invalidity inherent in the content and structure of a variety of diagnoses in DSM-III and its heir, DSM-III-R, are reviewed and illustrated, in part with results from the Epidemiological Catchment Area study.

The relationship between diagnostic criteria and standardized interviews is symbiotic. While attempts to adhere closely to existing diagnostic criteria contribute to the diagnostic accuracy of standardized interviews, the exercise of translating official diagnostic criteria into standardized questions highlights problems in the system's diagnostic grammar, enabling standardized interviews to contribute to improvements in diagnostic nosology.
Distinct memory impairments following electroconvulsive therapy and imipramine
Authors: Calev Avraham , Ben-Tzvi Edna , Shapira Baruch , Drexler Heinz , Carasso Refael , Lerer Bernard
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Memory functioning was assessed in 26 unmedicated patients with major depressive disorder (DSM-III) who were then administered either bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) (N = 16) or imipramine 200 mg per day (N = 10). The subjects were retested following seven ECT administrations or 21 days of imipramine treatment respectively. The retrograde memory tasks included recall of public and autobiographic events. The anterograde memory tasks included an immediate memory task, a verbal paired-associates recall task, and a non-verbal figure reproduction task. Depression was significantly improved in the ECT-treated subjects but not in those administered imipramine. Both ECT- and imipramine-treated patients showed a deficit in recent anterograde memory relative to their pretreatment performance, but no deficit in immediate memory. ECT-treated patients also had a significant and well-characterized impairment in retrograde remote memory. By contrast, imipramine-treated patients did not show a retrograde memory impairment which could be explained by treatment. The results suggest qualitatively different memory deficits produced by ECT and imipramine.
Caffeine abstention in the management of anxiety disorders
Authors: Bruce M. S. , Lader M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Caffeine toxicity remains a rarely reported condition, which may mimic anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorder patients do not consume toxic amounts of caffeine. However, increased sensitivity to caffeine in these patients has been suggested as contributing to their symptoms. Six cases of anxiety disorder are presented who improved with only caffeine abstention, and remained well for at least a six-month follow-up period.
Recent research activities in WHO's mental health programme
Authors: Sartorius N.
Published: July 2009

The mental health programme of WHO has been formulated through a process of consultation within WHO, with other United Nations bodies, with Governments, with the scientific community and with various non-governmental organizations (Sartorius, 1978; WHO, 1983a; Lambo & Sartorius, in the press).
Binding of yohimbine and imipramine to platelets in depressive illness
Authors: Braddock L. , Cowen P. J. , Elliott J. M. , Fraser S. , Stump K.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Radioligand binding to intact platelets was carried out in antidepressant-free patients and the 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was performed. There were no differences in binding characteristics between patients and controls for either [H]yohimbine or [H]imipramine. There were no differences in binding between patients classified as endogenous using the Newcastle Scale, compared with non-endogenous patients, and no difference between DST suppressors and non-suppressors. The severity of depression did not affect binding values. After 4–6 weeks antidepressant treatment [H]yohimbine binding was significantly reduced but [H]imipramine binding was unaffected.
The cerebral cortical appearance in depressed subjects
Authors: Dolan R. J. , Calloway S. P. , Thacker P. F. , Mann A. H.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This paper describes a comparison of the cerebral cortical appearance of 101 patients with a history of clinical depression and 52 control subjects. An age-related increase in sulcal widening was evident in both groups. However, after controlling for age, the patients were found to differ from control subjects in two respects: they had a greater amount of sulcal widening, most noticeably in the frontal and temporal areas; and there was a positive correlation between increasing sulcal widening and increasing lateral ventricular size not found in the control subjects. Patients with a past history of treatment by electroconvulsive therapy showed more sulcal widening in the parietal and occipital areas than those not so treated.
The social desirability of the Type A behaviour pattern
Authors: Furnham Adrian
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Nearly one hundred subjects completed two Type A behaviour questionnaires twice. First, they were asked to complete them honestly, reporting accurately on their behaviour patterns. Half of the subjects were then asked to fake good, presenting themselves in a positive light, and half to fake bad, presenting themselves in a negative light. There was only a marginal difference on one questionnaire's total score, with fake good subjects having lower Type A (i.e. higher Type B scores) yet nearly every individual question revealed large significant differences. The subjects' own A/B classification did not effect the way in which they faked the questionnaires. The results are discussed in terms of the literature on faking, lay concepts of psychological phenomena and the multidimensionality of the Type A concept.
Social support, self-esteem and depression
Authors: Brown G. W. , Andrews B. , Harris T. , Adler Z. , Bridge L.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A prospective study of 400 largely working-class women with children living at home has used measures of self-esteem and ‘social support’ to predict the risk of depression in the following year once a stressor had occurred. Actual support received at the time of any crisis in the follow-up year was also measured. Self-esteem was correlated quite highly with some of the measures of support.

A core tie was defined as a husband, lover or someone named as very close at first contact. Negative evaluation of self (i.e. low self-esteem), and various indices of lack of support from a core tie at the first interview, were associated with a greatly increased risk of subsequent depression once stressor occurred. Lack of support from a core tie at the time of the crisis was particularly highly associated with an increased risk. There was also a high risk among those who were ‘let down’ - that is, for those who did not receive the support which they might have expected in terms of the first interview material. It is concluded that it is essential for prospective enquiries to take account of the actual mobilization of support in the follow-up period.
Psychotropic drug use in Italy: national trends and regional differences
Authors: Williams Paul , Bellantuono Cesario , Fiorio Roberto , Tansella Michele
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Psychotropic drug sales data for Italy were examined for the years 1975–84. The principal findings were of more-or-less consistent annual increases in sales of antidepressants, minor tranquillizers and, to a lesser extent, of neuroleptics. These trends are interpreted in the context of the characteristics of the Italian National Health Service (NHS), and in relation to findings from psychotropic drug utilization studies in other Western countries.

Regional differences in psychotropic drug sales for 1983/4 were also examined. Marked differences were found and, in general, levels of use were higher in North/Central Italy than in the South. Factors influencing regional differences were explored using regression analysis. Regional NHS expenditure (excluding that on drugs) was found to influence strongly the sales of all categories of psychotropic drug, whereas there was also a marked urban > rural difference in the sales tranquillizers.
The abridged census method as an estimator of lifetime risk
Authors: Chase Gary A. , Kramer Morton
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The abridged census estimator, also known as Weinberg's shorter method, is a device used to estimate lifetime incidence from the observed age distribution of a population at risk coupled with data on the current prevalence of a mental disorder. This method, which still enjoys considerable popularity, should have been replaced many years ago by more accurate techniques for making such estimates using similar information. In particular, the abridged census method uses the assumption that the remaining life expectancy of incident cases equals that of non-cases. This assumption is likely to lead to an underestimate of the lifetime risk. Two examples are presented from published literature which illustrate some problems encountered with the use of the abridged census method. Some alternative estimation methods are presented which can be implemented using only a hand calculator and which lead to more accurate results.
Expertise, procedure and the possibility of a comparative history of forensic psychiatry in the nineteenth century
Authors: Smith Roger
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The comparative history of forensic psychiatry may help unravel relations between legal and administrative procedure, medical knowledge and expertise, and social interests, as they determine judgements about the criminal responsibility of the mentally disordered. But little has been done to compare the past or the present under different jurisdictions. This paper, therefore, suggests some points which would encourage such comparisons, and particularly a comparison between France and England in the nineteenth century, for both of which countries there is now a valuable historical literature. It also illustrates the complex interaction of procedure and medical expertise by reference to the case of George Victor Townley (1863).
Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis abnormalities in depression: a review and a model
Authors: Charlton Bruce G. , Ferrier I. Nicol
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A wide range of abnormalities of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been described in depression. This paper reviews recent advances in the understanding of this system, and draws them together to construct a model for the purposes of further research and discussion. It is proposed that there are two fundamental changes which both originate in the hypothalamus: an increased secretion of corticotropin-releasing hormone, and a neurally mediated adrenal hyper-responsivity to ACTH. The resulting changes in hormone regulation would be expected to produce all the characteristic HPA axis abnormalities commonly seen in depression. The model makes several predictions which could be tested by future experiment.
Quantitative computed tomographic study in schizophrenia: cerebral density and ventricle measures
Authors: Rossi Alessandro , Stratta Paolo , D'Albenzio Luigi , Di Michele Vittorio , Serio Antonio , Giordano Luigi , Petruzzi Concetta , Casacchia Massimo
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Twenty-seven chronic schizophrenics and nineteen controls, all male, were evaluated by computed tomography (CT) scans. Lateral, third and fourth ventricles and cerebral density numbers were measured. In the schizophrenic patients there was a significant increase in third ventricle width. Ventricular Brain Ratio (VBR) and there were significantly higher densities of white matter in the right frontal and parietal region.
The relationship between smooth pursuit eye movement impairment and psychological measures of psychopathology
Authors: Coursey Robert D. , Lees Richard W. , Siever Larry J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Two hundred and eighty-four male college volunteers were screened for smooth pursuit eyetracking deficiencies, a commonly reported concomitant of schizophrenia. A sample of 36 subjects, weighted with poor eyetrackers, was brought into the National Institute of Mental Health laboratory and retested on electro-oculogram and infrared tracking procedures. They were also administered psychological tests which assessed nine dimensions relevant to schizophrenic, neuropsychological, and affective disorders. In the area of schizophrenia-like symptoms, measures of attention deficits, stimulation avoidance, and identity problems predicted poor eyetracking for the whole sample. Using the poor eyetracking subjects alone (N = 24), interpersonal withdrawal was also significantly related to poor performance but not stimulation avoidance. In the neuropsychological area, measures of attention control and perceptual-motor dysfunction for the total sample, and perceptual problems and general intellectual decrements for the poor eyetrackers were significantly related to poor performance. There was no relationship between measures of affective dysfunction and poor eyetracking.
Dietary intake and clinical, anthropometric and biochemical indices of malnutrition in elderly demented patients and non-demented subjects
Authors: Burns Alistair , Marsh Andrew , Bender David A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Anthropometric and biochemical indices of nutritional status and weighed dietary intake have been studied in hospitalized patients with senile dementia, demented patients living in the community and age-matched control subjects who were not cognitively impaired. Demented patients were lighter than control subjects, and had a lower body mass index, skinfold thickness, mid-arm circumference and arm muscle bulk. The hospitalized patients were more seriously affected than those living in the community, and body weight was significantly negatively correlated with duration of hospitalization. Over a 6-month period the hospitalized patients showed a further weight loss, while those living in the community did not. Both groups of demented patients had higher intakes of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals than the control subjects. The diet of the hospitalized patients was slightly, but not significantly, superior to that of the patients living in the community. Biochemical evidence of specific vitamin inadequacy was equally prevalent in all three groups of subjects, and there were no significant correlations between the degree of cognitive impairment or behavioural disorder and any of the indices of nutritional state. Clinical signs suggestive of malnutrition were not correlated with either biochemical evidence of deficiency or cognitive impairment and behavioural disturbance.
Priming and cued recall in elderly, alcohol intoxicated and sleep deprived subjects: a case of functionally similar memory deficits
Authors: Nilsson Lars-Göran , Bäckman Lars , Karlsson Thomas
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Young, old, alcohol intoxicated, and sleep deprived subjects studied weakly and strongly related word pairs, and were tested in lexical decision priming and cued recall. Results showed memory deficits for old, alcohol intoxicated, and sleep deprived subjects in cued recall of weakly related pairs. In contrast, there were no differences between these three groups and a control group of young subjects in cued recall of strongly related pairs, and there were no differences between groups in priming. This pattern of results is interpreted to support (a) a hypothesis of functional similarities between the memory deficits associated with adult ageing, alcohol intoxication, and sleep deprivation; (b) the notion that memory deficits in these subjects are more likely to occur in tasks which require effortful rather than automatic processes; and (c) the view that the memory deficits observed are due to inefficiencies at both encoding and retrieval.