bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of lithium dosing schedule on urinary output
Authors: O'Donovan C. , Hawkes J. , Bowen R.
Published: August 2007

Lithium has been reported to induce polyuria in up to 35% of patients receiving it. It has been suggested that polyuria may be reduced by using single rather than multiple daily dosing. However, this information is based on non‐randomized studies, which used higher serum lithium levels than are currently used. In fact, the incidence of polyuria may be lower at currently used lithium levels, and the benefits of a single daily dose regimen on urine volume at these levels have not been assessed. We conducted a prospective randomized study to test the hypothesis that switching patients from multiple daily dose lithium to single daily dose lithium would significantly lower urine volume. Twenty‐four patients previously stabilized on multiple daily dosing were randomly allocated to either single or multiple daily dose lithium. Twenty‐four‐hour urine volume, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance and serum lithium were measured at study entry and completion. Switching to single daily dose lithium did not significantly reduce the 24‐h urine volume.
A unique monthly distribution of suicide and parasuicide through firearms among Israeli soldiers
Authors: Schreiber G. , Dycian A. , Kaplan Z. , Bleich A.
Published: August 2007

The monthly distribution of completed suicide and parasuicide by Israeli soldiers was analyzed during the 7‐year period of 1984–1990. Although parasuicide in general showed a constant incidence throughout the year, the monthly rate of suicide as well as parasuicide through firearms varied during the year in a similar way. The seasonal pattern of completed suicides, the vast majority of which occur with firearms, was correlated with the seasonal pattern of parasuicides through firearms. The combined variability of the two seasonal patterns was found to be significantly different from a pattern of a constant monthly incidence with a peak in December and a nadir in October. The monthly incidence of suicide and parasuicide through firearms was found to be negatively correlated with the duration of the daily photoperiod, when the latter was phase‐advanced by 1–2 months. This unique pattern of seasonal incidence of suicide and parasuicide through firearms is different from most of the patterns reported in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Canberra Interview for the Elderly: assessment of its validity in the diagnosis of dementia and depression
Authors: Mackinnon A. , Christensen H. , Cullen J.S. , Doyle C.J. , Henderson A.S. , Jorm A.F. , Korten A.E. , Scott L.R.
Published: August 2007

The Canberra Interview for the Elderly (CIE) has been developed as a field instrument for identifying cases of dementia and depression, according to the diagnostic criteria in both draft ICD‐10 and DSM‐III‐R. It has been designed to be administered by lay interviewers and responses are assembled algorithmically to derive diagnoses. The validity of the CIE was assessed using a sample of 75 elderly patients attending a hospital clinic. The CIE diagnoses were compared with clinical judgements made at the time of recruitment into the study and later by 3 clinicians using the information collected by the lay interviewers. Agreement between the CIE and the clinicians' diagnoses was as great as agreement between the clinicians themselves, meeting or exceeding agreement observed for comparable instruments designed for lay administration.
Risperidone as add‐on therapy in behavioural disturbances in mental retardation: a double‐blind placebo‐controlled cross‐over study
Authors: Borre R. Vanden , Vermote R. , Buttiëns M. , Thiry P. , Dierick G. , Geutjens J. , Sieben G. , Heylen S.
Published: August 2007

A double‐blind placebo‐controlled cross‐over trial was carried out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combined serotonin‐dopamine antagonist risperidone in mentally retarded patients with persistent behavioural disturbances. After an observation period of 1 week, risperidone 4–12 mg or placebo was administered during 3 weeks as add‐on treatment to the existing medication, followed by a 1‐week single‐blind placebo wash‐out, and another 3 weeks of double‐blind treatment with the cross‐over medication. Thirty‐seven patients participated in the trials; 30 completed the study. Risperidone was significantly superior to placebo in its effect on the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist and the Clinical Global Impression. The Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale did not show any differences between risperidone and placebo. Two patients experienced hypotension at the start of the risperidone administration. Sedation and drowsiness were the most frequently reported treatment‐emergent adverse events. The results of this trial warrant further investigation into the therapeutic assets of risperidone in this indication, as add‐on therapy and as monotherapy.
Interhemispheric electroencephalographic coherence as a biological marker in alcoholism
Authors: Michael A. , Mirza K. A. H. , Mukundan C. R. , Channabasavanna S. M.
Published: August 2007

Electroencephalographic coherence scores in 21 teetotaler first‐degree relatives of alcoholics, 27 subjects with alcohol dependence and 21 healthy subjects without a family history of alcohol abuse were compared. The relatives had significantly higher coherence scores in the frontal and parietal leads than the alcoholics and in the frontal and centroparietal leads than in the healthy subjects. This might represent a trait marker of resilience in subjects at high risk for the development of alcoholism.
The prevalence of transsexualism in the Netherlands
Authors: Bakker A. , van Kesteren P. J. M. , Gooren L. J. G. , Bezemer P. D.
Published: August 2007

The prevalence of transsexualism in the Netherlands was estimated by counting all the subjects who were diagnosed as transsexuals by psychiatrists or psychologists and were subsequently hormonally treated and generally underwent sex‐reassignment surgery. At the end of 1990, 713 Dutch‐born transsexuals received treatment (507 men, 206 women). This amounts to a prevalence of 1:11,900 for male‐to‐female transsexualism and 1:30,400 for female‐to‐male transsexualism (population age 15 and above in both groups). The sex ratio was about 2.5 men to 1 woman. The most important reason for this relatively high prevalence seems to be the benevolent climate for the treatment of transsexualism in the Netherlands.
Prevalence of mental disorders in young adults with chronic physical diseases since childhood as identified by the Present State Examination and the CATEGO program
Authors: Kokkonen J. , Kokkonen E.‐R.
Published: August 2007

To find out whether long‐term physical disorders in childhood increase the risk for mental disorder, we interviewed 407 young adults and compared their findings to a control group of 123 age‐matched controls. The overall prevalence of mental disorders according to ICD‐8 classification exceeded 20% in both groups. Depression and phobic disorders were the most common diagnostic syndromes, being most prevalent in women with motor handicaps or short stature. Only 7 patients had received psychotherapy, 5 for psychotic symptoms. In conclusion, only a severe physical disease, visible and disabling for years in everyday life, seems to increase the risk for mental problems. The results demonstrate the need to improve the approach towards psychological problems in the somatic clinics treating patients with long‐term physical diseases.
A nationwide survey of seasonal affective disorder at 53 outpatient university clinics in Japan
Authors: Sakamoto K. , Kamo T. , Nakadaira S. , Tamura A. , Takahashi K.
Published: August 2007

A nationwide survey of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) was performed from autumn 1990 to spring 1991 with the cooperation of 53 outpatient university psychiatric clinics in Japan. Forty‐six SAD patients were identified among 5265 depressed outpatients. SAD was generally reported to occur in 1–3% of the depressed outpatients newly attending each facility. Hours of sunshine were found to be a more relevant variable influencing the prevalence of SAD than latitude or the mean temperature in December. The unexpectedly low percentage (20–30%) of SAD patients with atypical vegetative symptoms suggests that SAD patients who have no prior knowledge of SAD and those who are recruited via the media have different vegetative symptom profiles.
Psychiatry towards the year 2000
Authors: Kringlen E.
Published: August 2007

After a brief historical introduction, the future of psychiatry is discussed by considering trends in mental disorder, treatment ideology, research and evolution of society in general with a focus on western Europe and North America.
Risk factors for suicide in melancholia A case‐record evaluation of 89 suicides and their controls
Authors: Brådvi L. , Berglund M.
Published: August 2007

Eighty‐nine inpatients with a primary severe depression and melancholia who had committed suicide were investigated. They were admitted to the Department of Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden between 1956–1969 and died before 1984. Matched controls were selected. Case records were evaluated at index admission to find suicidal risk factors in melancholia. Prospective ratings were compared. Women committing suicide had higher scores than their controls on the items unmarried, non‐compliance and suicide attempt but lower ratings on disharmonic childhood and non‐severe physical disease. Men committing suicide had higher scores on the items heredity for psychosis and a brittle or sensitive personality. For the latter item suicide was related to life‐weariness. Suicide attempt was related to acute onset and lack of psychomotor retardation. Two suicidal processes were proposed for men: one related to aggression and one not. Social factors seem less important in the prediction of suicide in melancholia than in depression in general.
Glans penis perception of Koro patients
Authors: Chowdhury A. N.
Published: August 2007

Koro is a form of sexual neurosis in which a reaction of acute anxiety accompanies the perception of decreased penis length from intra‐abdominal traction. This study attempts to explore the glans penis perception of Koro patients by a grapho‐motor projective test – DAPT (Draw‐a‐penis Test). This controlled DAPT investigation shows that Koro patients have significantly less perception of glans penis than the controls. This perceptual deviation in glans penis image is discussed in relation to the sexual‐behavioral profile and Koro vulnerability of the patients.
Cross‐cultural comparison of depression and depressive symptoms in older people
Authors: Dewey M. E. , de la Cámara C. , Copeland J. R. M. , Lobo A. , Saz P.
Published: August 2007

This article presents data on the prevalence of depression and the profile of depressive symptoms in 2 groups of people aged 65 and over: 1070 living in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and 1080 living in Zaragoza, Spain. Similar prevalence figures were found for women (Liverpool first): 14.2%vs 14.8% and, for men, 7.2%vs 6.2%. No age differences were found. The figures are lower than those found using similar methods in London and New York, but higher than those from Iceland. The article also compares the profile of depressive symptoms between Liverpool and Zaragoza and explains these by reference to social and cultural differences.
Satisfaction with care reported by psychiatric inpatients Relationship to diagnosis and medical treatment
Authors: Kelstrup A. , Lund K. , Lauritsen B. , Bech P.
Published: August 2007

In this survey, 274 patients were sent a questionnaire concerning satisfaction with psychiatric treatment and the ward 1 month after their discharge from hospital. Fifty‐two percent of the patients responded. Answers to the 56 items of patient satisfaction were analyzed in relation to patient diagnoses and treatment given. Patients who were diagnosed as suffering from affective disorders or from reactive psychoses were more satisfied than patients with schizophrenia or paranoia or with transitory adjustment reactions. Patients who had no personality disorder diagnosis and patients with character neurosis were more satisfied than patients with antisocial or borderline personality disorders. Patients on antidepressant medication were much more satisfied than other patients. The results of the study are discussed with regard to the need of further research in this area and to quality assurance.
Impulsivity and dyscontrol in bulimia nervosa: is impulsivity an independent phenomenon or a marker of severity?
Authors: Newton J. R. , Freeman C. P. , Munro J.
Published: August 2007

Fifty‐eight normal‐weight DSM‐III‐R bulimia nervosa patients were compared with 27 normal controls on measures of bulimia nervosa, depression, impulsivity, obsessionality and impulse control (dyscontrol) behaviours. Patients scored higher than controls on all these measures. Almost half the patient cohort met Lacey's multi‐impulsive bulimia criteria. When bulimic symptoms were controlled for in an analysis of covariance, multi‐impulsive bulimics did not score significantly differently to non‐impulsive bulimics on psychometric measures of impulsivity, obsessionality and depression. The concept of impulsivity is critically reviewed and newer concepts linking obsessionality and impulsivity are explored.
The pattern of regional cerebral blood flow during alcohol withdrawal ‐ a single photon emission tomography study with 99mTc‐HMPAO
Authors: Caspari D. , Trabert W. , Heinz G. , Lion N. , Henkes H. , Huber G.
Published: August 2007

Cerebral blood flow was investigated during alcohol withdrawal in 15 male alcoholics by single photon emission computerized tomography with 99mTc‐HMPAO and compared with the results of a second study 3 weeks later when all symptoms of withdrawal had disappeared and when the patients had been free of medication for at least 1 week. Slice images were reconstructed parallel to the orbitomeatal plane, and tracer activity was analyzed in 8 regions of interest per hemisphere. During alcohol withdrawal a special pattern of cerebral blood flow distribution could be observed. Relative perfusion was elevated in both inferior temporal regions, whereas it was reduced in the superior temporal region of both hemispheres. The changes of cerebral blood flow distribution did not correlate with neuropsychological findings nor with the severity of withdrawal syndrome.
Outcome, recovery, relapse and mortality across six years in patients with clinical eating disorders
Authors: Norring C.E.A. , Sohlberg S.S.
Published: August 2007

The study describes course and outcome over 6 years for adults with eating disorders. Special interest is paid to clinically critical events such as relapse and premature death. Seventy‐seven per cent of the 30 prospectively studied patients had no eating disorder diagnosis after 6 years. Among the recovered patients, the total risk of relapse was 48%. The mortality was 17.8 times higher than expected. The overall pattern of results confirm earlier ones for anorexia nervosa and extend the limited database for bulimia nervosa. Of particular importance may be 1) that no patient in this sample suffered more than one major relapse and 2) that the risk for premature death may be twice as high among bulimic as among restricting patients.
The lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders in Iceland as estimated by the US National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule
Authors: Lindal E. , Stefánsson J. G.
Published: August 2007

The lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders was estimated in a study of the prevalence of mental disorders in Iceland. The survey instrument was an Icelandic translation of the US National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. The cohort consisted of one half of those born in the year 1931. The participation rate was 79.3%. The overall prevalence of anxiety disorders was 44%, with phobia effecting 18%. The most common anxiety disorder was generalized anxiety, which had a prevalence of 22% and was more common among women. Simple phobia was the most common of the phobic disorders (8.8%), followed by agoraphobia without panic (3.8%), and social phobia (3.5%) The female‐male ratio for anxiety disorders was 2:1. Of those with simple phobia, the most common items were a fear of heights (41%); claustrophobia (34%); being on public transportation (31%); the fear of being in crowds and speaking in front of others (28%); of being alone (24%); of insects (22%); of bad weather (21%); and of being in water (aquaphobia) (20%). In addition, 17% of the respondents listed phobias not cited in the DSM‐III, and of those with the most common phobic disorder, only 9% had consulted a physician because of this condition. Post‐traumatic stress disorder was found to affect women exclusively. Comorbidity shows a mean of at least 3 additional diagnoses.
Patterns of treatment resistance in bipolar affective disorder
Authors: Cole A. J. , Scott J. , Ferrier I. N. , Eccleston D.
Published: August 2007

The mean index episode length in 19 consecutive admissions with treatment‐resistant bipolar affective disorder was 21.7 months. Four patterns of resistance were identified: rapid cycling (37%), other forms of cycling (32%), chronic depression (26%) and mixed states (6%). Female gender was significantly associated with rapid cycling. Other risk factors for treatment‐resistant bipolar disorder, including a high prevalence of family history of affective disorder (72%) and electroencephalographic abnormalities (54% of recordings), were not confined to the rapid cycling group.
Parental rearing and intimate relations in women's depression
Authors: Vega B. Rodriguez , Bayón C. , Franco B. , Cañas F. , Graell M. , Salvador M.
Published: August 2007

Bowlby has suggested that attachment behavior is not restricted to early childhood but can remain valid through the life span. This study was designed to test whether recall of parental rearing (Parental Bonding Instrument) and perception of marital relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) is significantly different between 2 groups of women: one with non‐bipolar depressive disorder (DSM‐III‐R) compared with another (control) of healthy women from a primary practice setting. We also examined the hypothesis that exposure to dysfunctional parenting is associated with negative intimate relationships in adulthood. Our results partially support these hypotheses. We discuss the significance of these findings in the prevention and treatment of depressive disorders.
Serum thyrotropin responses to thyrotropin‐releasing hormone in Korsakoff's syndrome
Authors: Thakore J. H. , Dinan T. G.
Published: August 2007

Eleven patients with DSM‐III‐R Korsakoff's syndrome were studied as were 11 patients with alcohol dependence syndrome (without Korsakoff's syndrome and abstinent for at least 3 years) and 11 healthy controls. All subjects underwent a thyroid‐releasing hormone and thyroid‐stimulating hormone stimulation test. Forty‐five percent of the Korsakoff's syndrome patients had a blunted response and 18% of the chronic abstinent alcoholic group were similarly blunted. None of the controls had an attenuated response. The possible reasons for the high level of blunting are discussed.
Clinicians’ information habits, patients’ knowledge of diagnoses and etiological concepts in four different clinical samples
Authors: Luderer H.‐J. , Böcker F. M.
Published: August 2007

A total of 230 psychiatric inpatients and their physicians in charge took part in semistandardized interviews. Patients suffering from schizophrenia received information less frequently and less comprehensively than other patients. The label of schizophrenia was often paraphrased or not communicated at all; patients knew their diagnosis less exactly than other subgroups. Asked to indicate the most important cause of their disorder, neurotics tended to name their living conditions (60%), and addicts preferred to blame themselves (73%). Only 26% of the patients with affective disorders or schizophrenia accepted the idea of their disorders as diseases in a medical sense, whereas the psychiatrists favored a biological concept in more than 90% of the cases. The findings stress the need to improve communication between patients and psychiatrists as regards information on illness and treatment.
Electrodermal activity in anxiety disorders
Authors: Birket‐Smith M. , Hasle N. , Jensen H. H.
Published: August 2007

Forty anxiety patients diagnosed according to DSM‐III‐R criteria were included: panic disorder (n= 12), agoraphobia (n= 11), generalized anxiety disorder (n= 9), anxiety disorder not otherwise specified (n= 8) and compared with 12 controls. Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and Symptom Checklist‐90R symptom and personality scales did not separate the diagnostic groups. Electrodermal activity showed delayed habituation and high spontaneous skin resistance fluctuations in the panic and agoraphobia groups compared with the non‐panic groups. The generalized anxiety disorder patients could not be separated from the controls, and the anxiety disorder not otherwise specified patients showed less electrodermal activity than the controls on most variables. In contrast to self‐report instruments, electrodermal activity discriminated between diagnostic groups of patients with DSM‐III‐R anxiety disorders, more specifically between patients with and without panic attacks.
Assessing atypical seasonal affective disorder complaints by means of self‐rating
Authors: Meesters Y. , Jansen J. H. C.
Published: August 2007

The atypical complaints of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) are usually assessed clinically by means of 7 questions added to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSDadd). In this study, these complaints were assessed by means of relevant and modified items of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDIadd), a self‐rating instrument. A highly significant correlation between the two assessment procedures was found. This suggests that the BDIadd is a very useful alternative to the HRSDadd.
Treatment of winter depression in Norway
Authors: Lingjærde O. , Reichborn‐Kjennerud T. , Haggag A. , Gärtner I. , Narud K. , Berg E. M.
Published: August 2007

Thirty‐four patients with seasonal affective disorder, winter depression type (WD) were randomly distributed to receive the selective monoamine oxidase‐A inhibitor moclobemide (400 mg daily) or placebo in a double‐blind, parallel group study lasting for up to 14 weeks. Severity measures were the Montgomery‐Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) extended with characteristic symptoms of WD; summed score of the “atypical” symptoms hypersomnia, hyperphagia and carbohydrate craving; and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI). After 3 weeks, patients with unsatisfactory response were switched to open moclobemide. Three patients on placebo dropped out before 3 weeks. Extended MADRS and CGI showed no significant difference between the groups at 3 weeks, whereas the atypical score was reduced significantly more on moclobemide than on placebo already after one week. Nonresponders after 3 weeks (9 of 16 on moclobemide and 7 of 15 on placebo) improved rapidly after being given open moclobemide. Predictor analysis showed a remarkably high negative correlation between improvement at 3 weeks (extended MADRS) and age in the placebo group and a strong, nonsignificant trend in the same direction in the moclobemide group. Dichotomizing the patients according to the median age (45 years) resulted in a somewhat better effect of moclobemide than placebo in the older age group. There were no significant differences in side effects between moclobemide and placebo.
Efficacy of maintenance use of anticholinergic agents
Authors: Double D. B. , Warren G. C. , Evans M. , Rowlands R. P.
Published: August 2007

Twenty‐seven long‐term psychiatric inpatients maintained on neuroleptics with concomitant antiparkinsonian medication were entered into a study in which anticholinergic medication was gradually withdrawn in a randomized double‐blind within‐subjects design. The extrapyramidal symptoms of each patient were compared when taking their usual anticholinergic medication, when taking placebo and when taking no antiparkinsonian drug. The relapse rate on no medication was 14%, and if patients relapsed on no medication they also relapsed on placebo. The relapse rate was not significantly different on active medication. Nor were there significant differences in ratings of parkinsonism or dyskinesia. The lack of difference between double‐blind and overt withdrawal does not mean that studies that find a much higher relapse rate are necessarily unaffected by nonspecific factors, as significant unblinding may occur in clinical trials.
Risk factors for completed suicide among adolescents with a lifetime history of substance abuse: a case‐control study
Authors: Bukstein O. G. , Brent O. A. , Perper J. A. , Moritz G. , Baugher M. , Schweers J. , Roth C. , Balach L.
Published: August 2007

The risk factors for suicide in adolescents with substance abuse were assessed by comparing 23 adolescent suicide victims and 12 community controls with a lifetime history of definite or probable DSM‐III substance abuse. Suicide victims were more likely than controls to show the following risk factors: active substance abuse, comorbid major depression, suicidal ideation within the past week, family history of depression and substance abuse, legal problems and presence of a handgun in the home. Recommendations for the identification and prevention of suicide among substance‐abusing youth on the basis of these findings are presented.
Medical and social paternalism Regulation of and attitudes towards compulsory psychiatric care
Authors: Kjellin L. , Nilstun T.
Published: August 2007

In Sweden, recommendations and reforms in psychiatric care have increasingly stressed respect for patient autonomy and justice with less emphasis on medical and social paternalism. This is the official policy. But what are the attitudes of the people involved in or affected by compulsory psychiatric care? To answer this question, the attitudes of committed and voluntarily admitted patients, their relatives, psychiatric staff, health and welfare personnel of primary care and a sample of the general public were studied in 2 Swedish counties. Strong support for medical and social paternalism was reported, and according to most of the people asked, doctors, not legal authorities, should decide about commitment. These attitudes are discordant with the recent legislative changes in Sweden.
Effects of gender, age and diagnosis on perceived parental care and protection in adolescents
Authors: Rey J.M. , Bird K. D. , Kopec‐Schrader E. , Richards I. N.
Published: August 2007

To assess whether perceived parental care and protection varied according to age and gender of the child and whether they were associated with psychiatric diagnoses, these constructs were measured with the Parental Bonding Instrument in a cohort of non‐referred adolescents (n= 762), in a clinically referred cohort (n= 1299), and in a group of adolescents from the referred cohort (n= 365) for whom DSM‐III diagnoses were available. Significant differences in parental care and protection according to clinical status, age, gender and diagnosis were found. However, perceived parental affectionless control was not associated with emotional disorders in adolescents, contrary to reports in adult subjects, but with clinical status.
Genetic perspectives on crime
Authors: Brennan P. A. , Mednick S. A.
Published: August 2007

This article examines the empirical evidence for a genetic influence in the etiology of antisocial behavior. This review relates the results of studies from 3 approaches to genetic investigation. The first, family studies, provides valuable information about the increased risk for deviance among the family members of affected individuals. Family studies provide few conclusions about genetic etiology, however, because members of families share environments as well as genes. A second approach, the study of twins, offers a somewhat better separation of genetic and environmental effects. The twin studies compare monozygotic (MZ) twins, who are genetically identical, to fraternal, same‐sex, dizygotic (DZ) twins who have no more genes in common than other siblings (50%). The research design assumes that the effect of hereditary factors is demonstrated if the MZ twins have more similar outcomes (concordance for deviance) than DZ twins. The twins are reared together in almost all studies, and the environmental influences for MZ pairs may be more similar than for DZ pairs. A third approach, the adoption study, largely overcomes the possibility of confounding genetic and environmental factors which limit inferences from the results of twin studies. In this method, the deviant outcomes of adopted children (separated early in life from their biological parents) are compared with the outcomes of their adoptive parents and their biological parents. Similarity in outcome between adoptees and biological parents indicates a genetic effect.
Delivery of preterm and small for gestational age infants across generations
Authors: Schulsinger C. , Mednick B. R. , Klebanoff M. A. , Secher N. J. , Teasdale T. W. , Baker R. L.
Published: August 2007

Two generations of women were studied to clarify the influence of a woman's own preterm delivery or intrauterine growth retardation on her later risk of delivering preterm or growth‐retarded infants. The first generation consists of the cohort of women who gave birth at the National University Hospital (Rigshospitalet) in Copenhagen from 1959 to 1961 and the second, those of their daughters that have delivered themselves. The background of the study and the procedures involved are described. The percentage of data obtained and the preliminary findings concerning the relationship between social and demographic factors and the willingness of subjects to participate are included.
Genes and environment in the inheritance of morbidity and mortality
Authors: Borch‐Johnsen K. , Sørensen T. I. A.
Published: August 2007

During the past 30 years, the Danish Adoption Registry has been used in the analysis of the effect of genes and family environment on the development of mental disorders. During the last 15 years, the registry has also been used for similar analyses of somatic disorders, including obesity and premature death from somatic disorders. This article discusses the potential problems generally related to inference on morbidity from mortality data and particularly when using mortality data in adoption studies. We conclude that further insight into the question of nature, nurture or both requires extending the studies to include morbidity data as well as mortality data. We suggest that expanding the study by including biological and adoptive siblings and by using recently developed statistical methods will considerably strengthen the adoption study of morbidity and mortality.
Psychopathology and family functioning in mothers with epilepsy
Authors: Thiels C. , Steinhausen H.‐C.
Published: August 2007

In a prospective comparative study of children born to mothers with epilepsy and to healthy controls, maternal psychopathology, family functioning and the effects of maternal psychopathology and family functioning on child mental status were investigated. The instruments used were the Present State Examination (PSE), the Past History Schedule (PHS), a psychiatric interview for preschool children and a structured interview about family functioning. Interviewers were blind to the clinical status of the mother. The group of mothers with epilepsy differed from the control group only regarding a higher prevalence of minor psychopathology and in 1 of 4 areas of family functioning. There was no difference between mothers with epilepsy and the control group regarding major psychopathology, and almost no differences regarding family functioning. The effect of maternal psychopathology on child mental status was mediated by disturbed family functioning only in the epilepsy group.
Negative and depressive symptoms in suicidal schizophrenics
Authors: Jones J. S. , Stein D. J. , Stanley B. , Guido J. R. , Winchel R. , Stanley M.
Published: August 2007

The aim of this study was to determine the value of positive, negative and depressive symptoms, and of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST), in differentiating schizophrenics with and without a history of suicide. Fifty‐seven hospitalized patients with schizophrenia were assessed at the end of a neuroleptic free interval with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), and with a dexamethasone challenge. Suicide attempters were significantly more likely to meet criteria for major depression than nonattempters. Scores on the HRSD differentiated the two groups whereas the sums of positive and negative symptom items from the BPRS did not. DST a.m. and p.m. cortisol values differentiated suicide attempters from nonattempters and HRSD scores correlated significantly with cortisol levels. This study confirms the importance of depressive symptoms in schizophrenic patients with a history of suicide. Assessment of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis in schizophrenia may also provide useful information.
Type A personalities tend to have low platelet monoamine oxidase activity
Authors: Smith D. F.
Published: August 2007

This study investigated whether there are relations between type A behaviours and the activity of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in blood platelets. Forty male nonsmokers completed the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) and had a blood sample drawn while at work. The JAS was scored in the traditional manner, yielding scores for ambitiousness (factor A), impatience (factor S), competitiveness (factor H) and job involvement (factor J). High scores on JAS scales were associated with low MAO activity in blood platelets; the correlation between platelet MAO activity and job involvement was significant. The findings agree with previous reports in showing relationships between MAO activity and certain personality traits and support the notion that low activity of MAO may contribute to sympathetic hyperreactivity in type A individuals.
Correlates of cognitive impairment and depressive mood disorder in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Möller A. , Wiedemann G. , Rohde U. , Backmund H. , Sonntag A.
Published: August 2007

The psychopathological status of 25 inpatients suffering from clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS) according to Poser criteria was assessed by using standardized methods (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III‐R, Inpatient Multidimensional Psychiatric Scale, Hamilton and Montgomery‐Asberg Depression Rating Scales and the Structured Interview for the Diagnosis of Alzheimer Dementia and Dementias of other Aetiology (SIDAM). Magnetic resonance (MRT) (0.5 T; T2‐weighted sequence) of the brain was analysed by measuring the ventricular brain ratio (VBR), the area of the corpus callosum (CC) and the extension of hyperintense lesions of the brainstem, the temporal lobes and the brain at all. Six of 25 (24%) of these moderately disabled patients (mean Extended Disability Score (EDSS) 3.3) were diagnosed to suffer from depressive mood disorder (major depression or dysthymia); 2 were demented. In correlation analysis, depression was unrelated to age, gender, duration of illness, status of disability (EDSS) or the results of cognitive assessment. No relationship between the depression scores and the different MRT measures could be identified. The presence or absence of gadolinium enhancement was also uncorrelated to depressive symptoms. Fatigue as measured by the Fatigue Severity Scale was unrelated to depression or subcortical brain atrophy (increased VBR) but significantly correlated to the area of hyperintense MRT changes in brainstem and midbrain. Cognitive impairment (decreased SIDAM scores) was correlated to the total area of hyperintense MRT changes of the brain parenchyma. The type of clinical course (relapsing‐remitting vs chronic progredient) was not found to influence the affective or cognitive state in our MS patient's sample.
The impact of familial loading on gender differences in age at onset of schizophrenia
Authors: Albus M. , Scherer J. , Hueber S. , Lechleuthner T. , Kraus G. , Zausinger S. , Burkes S.
Published: August 2007

To evaluate the impact of familial loading and gender on age at onset, 197 schizophrenic patients were investigated. Patients with familial loading had an earlier age at onset without gender differences. In contrast, an earlier age at onset for men was found in sporadic cases. These data support that both gender and familial loading contribute to the heterogeneity of schizophrenia.
The prevalence of suicidal behavior among preadolescent children who are psychiatric inpatients
Authors: Milling L. , Campbell N. , Laughlin A. , Bush E.
Published: August 2007

The prevalence of suicidal behavior displayed by preadolescent children hospitalized on inpatient psychiatric units is estimated to range between 18% and 80% of the population. The current study provides an independent estimate of the prevalence of this problem. A semistructured interview was used to assess suicidal behavior displayed by 61 admissions to a child psychiatric inpatient unit between April 1988 and September 1989. According to the Pfeffer Spectrum of Suicidal Behavior Scale, 63% of the sample engaged in some form of suicidal behavior. Preadolescents and their parents reported similar rates of suicidal thoughts, threats and attempts. The dangerousness of recent suicidal behavior was not found to differ by age, sex, legal custody status or socioeconomic status.
Acute intermittent porphyria and mental illness – a family study
Authors: Patience D. A. , Blackwood D. H. R. , McColl K. E. L. , Moore M. R.
Published: August 2007

All cases of acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) are believed to be caused by a mutation in the gene encoding for porphobilinogen deaminase, a rate‐limiting enzyme in the haem synthetic pathway. This gene has been mapped to the long arm of chromosome 11, a region of the genome that has recently attracted considerable attention as a possible location for genes implicated in major mental disorder. This study was designed to show whether major mental illness co‐segregated with acute intermittent porphyria in families where the two conditions are found. The study also investigated the relation between clinical mental symptoms and biochemical parameters of acute intermittent porphyria. The case records of 344 consecutive patients admitted to the Porphyrias Research Group in the Western Infirmary in Glasgow between 1950 and 1988 with acute intermittent porphyria were examined for evidence of psychiatric contact. Of 16 individuals identified, 12 were available for the study. Forty relatives of these 12 probands, including 9 who were asymptomatic carriers of AIP, were interviewed for lifetime history of mental illness and current symptoms. Comparisons were made between 4 groups of patients based on urinary porphyrin levels and erythrocyte enzyme activity; 1) manifest acute intermittent porphyria, 2) latent acute intermittent porphyria, 3) normal relatives and 4) total acute intermittent porphyria (latent and manifest combined). No association was found between AIP and schizophrenia or manic‐depressive illness. Only one patient with schizophrenia was found in the sample of 344 case notes, and in 2 families bipolar illness was found but did not segregate with acute intermittent porphyria. The commonest psychiatric diagnosis in patients was generalized anxiety. In the total AIP group (latent and manifest), compared with normals, the rating scale measures of anxiety were significantly correlated with the level of porphyrin metabolites in the urine at the time of rating. This was true even in subjects with latent AIP, who were not at the time of testing aware that they were asymptomatic carriers of the illness. AIP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.
The reliability and validity of the French version of the Canberra Interview for the Elderly
Authors: Mulligan R. , Mackinnon A. , Berney P. , Giannakopoulos P.
Published: August 2007

A French version of the Canberra Interview for the Elderly (CIE) was developed. This instrument is designed for lay administration and, using a computer algorithm, produces diagnoses of dementia and depression according to ICD‐10 and DSM‐III‐R criteria. The reliability of this French version was found to meet or exceed the English version in a test‐retest design. Validity, established by comparison with diagnoses made by an experienced clinician, was also found to be acceptable. The CIE is thus an appropriate instrument for the epidemiological study of these disorders in French‐speaking populations.
Symptoms in schizophrenic syndromes in relation to age, sex, duration of illness and number of previous hospitalizations
Authors: Lindström E. , Knorring L. von
Published: August 2007

In studies by means of the Swedish version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, we have demonstrated a 5‐factor model of schizophrenia, including positive, negative, excited, anxious/depressive and cognitive factors. In this study, the 5 factors were correlated with background factors in a series comprising 140 patients with schizophrenic syndromes. None of the 5 factors revealed any significant age or sex differences. The positive factor correlated positively with the number of previous hospitalizations and the negative factor correlated negatively. The excited factor correlated negatively with age at onset, age at first hospitalization and positively with the duration of the illness and the number of previous hospitalizations. The cognitive factor correlated negatively with age at onset and age at first hospitalization and positively with the duration of the illness. Age at onset was positively correlated with delusions, excitement, unusual thought content and poor impulse control and negatively with lack of spontaneity. The duration of illness correlated positively with excitement, difficulty in abstract thinking and mannerisms. The number of previous hospitalizations correlated positively with delusions, excitement, unusual thought content and poor impulse control and significant negative correlations were demonstrated as concerns blunted affect and lack of spontaneity.
Dim versus bright red (light‐emitting diode) light in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder
Authors: Levitt A. J. , Joffe R. T. , King E.
Published: August 2007

Forty‐three subjects with seasonal affective disorder were randomly assigned to receive 2 weeks of treatment with either bright‐ (mean 4106 lx) or dim‐light (mean 96 lx) therapy, using red light‐emitting diode light sources, in a head‐mounted unit. Defining response as a 50% reduction in the 21‐item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score to a post‐treatment score of less than 8, there was no significant difference in response rate between patients receiving bright light (67%) as compared with patients receiving dim light (68%). Possible explanations for the similar response rate to 2 very different illuminances of red light are discussed.
Binge eating versus nonpurged eating in bulimics: is there a carbohydrate craving after all?
Authors: van der Ster Wallin G. , Norring C. , Holmgren S.
Published: August 2007

Food selection and macro nutrient content were evaluated in a group of bulimic subjects, both during the nonpurged intake and the bingeing. Dietary data was assessed by single 24‐hour recall. As expected, energy distribution and food selection differed markedly between the nonpurged diet and the binges. The main differences were related to an inverse relationship in the order of macro nutrients, fat being the dominant and protein the least important source of macro nutrients during binge eating. The nutrient content during binges admittedly had a preponderance for fat. Nevertheless, the primary choice of food items during binges was carbohydrates, which was shown both by a greater quantity and by the subjects’ own desires.
A 12‐week double‐blind multi‐centre study of paroxetine and imipramine in hospitalized depressed patients
Authors: Arminen S.‐L. , Ikonen U. , Pulkkinen P. , Leinonen E. , Mahlanen A. , Koponen H. , Kourula K. , Ryyppö J. , Korpela V. , Lehtonen M. L. , Vartiainen H. , Lehtinen V. , Tamminen T. , Manniche P. M.
Published: August 2007

Fifty‐seven inpatients with major depression (DSM‐III‐R) entered a 12‐week study comparing paroxetine and imipramine. Trends (not reaching statistical significance) in favour of paroxetine were seen on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Montgomery‐Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The UKU Side Effect Rating Scale showed a significant difference in favour of paroxetine on reduced salivation. Global evaluation of side effect symptoms showed that significantly more paroxetine patients had no side effects, both in the investigators’ and the patients’ opinion. These results are in line with previous findings of paroxetine being an effective and well tolerated antidepressant.
Neurotrophin‐3 gene polymorphism associated with schizophrenia
Authors: Nanko S. , Hattori M. , Kuwata S. , Sasaki T. , Fukuda R. , Dai X. Y. , Yamaguchi K. , Shibata Y. , Kazamatsuri H.
Published: August 2007

The recent possible neurodevelopmental etiology of schizophrenia makes the neurotrophin‐3 (NT‐3) gene an interesting candidate locus. We studied the allelic distributions of dinucleotide repeat polymorphism at the NT‐3 gene locus in 70 patients with schizophrenia and in 70 controls. A highly significant difference between the two groups was observed at the allele A3. Even Bonferroni's correction was used, the difference was still significant. Individuals with homozygous or heterozygous for the allele A3 had a 2.4‐fold increased risk of schizophrenia. Determination of NT‐3 genotype may help to identify those at greater risk of schizophrenia. Furthermore, this finding supports evidence implicating neurodevelopmental deficit in the pathogenesis of this disorder.
Obsessive‐compulsive disorder: prediction of outcome from behavioural psychotherapy
Authors: Castle D. J. , Deale A. , Marks I. M. , Cutts F. , Chadhoury Y. , Stewart A.
Published: August 2007

Prediction of outcome after behavioural psychotherapy was determined in 178 outpatients with obsessive‐compulsive disorder. For women (n= 103), factors significantly associated with good outcome included paid employment at time of assessment, having a co‐therapist and low initial ratings on global phobia, work and home activity impairment and the compulsion checklist. In men, the only factor to approach statistical significance as a predictor of outcome was solitary abode, associated with “less improved” status.
Patients with methamphetamine psychosis admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Japan
Authors: Iwanami A. , Sugiyama A. , Kuroki N. , Toda S. , Kato N. , Nakatani Y. , Horita N. , Kaneko T.
Published: August 2007

To examine the clinical characteristics of methamphetamine (MAP) psychosis in Japan, we evaluated 104 patients with MAP psychosis (80 men and 24 women) admitted to the closed psychiatric units of Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital between 1988 and 1991. There has recently been a steep increase in the number of admissions for MAP psychosis, reflecting the growth of the epidemic of MAP abuse in Japan. Although more than half of the patients were discharged within one month, 16 patients were hospitalized for more than 3 months. Most of the patients showed paranoid psychotic state similar to schizophrenia, consistent with previous reports. Despite the abstinence from MAP and antipsychotic medication, psychotic symptoms tended to persist in some of the patients. The etiological role of MAP psychosis in the development of long‐lasting psychotic state was discussed.
Religious psychotherapy in anxiety disorder patients
Authors: Azhar M. Z. , Varma S. L. , Dharap A. S.
Published: August 2007

Religious patients with generalized anxiety disorder were given religious psychotherapy in addition to supportive psychotherapy anxiolytic drugs. Those receiving religious psychotherapy showed significantly more rapid improvement in anxiety symptoms than those who received supportive psychotherapy and drugs only. Thus, religious patients may require a different form of psychotherapy.