bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suicide rates in Lusaka, Zambia: preliminary observations
Authors: Rwegellera G. G. C.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The records of all suicides and of all open verdicts in Lusaka (Zambia) over a 5-year period (1967–1971) were studied. The following suicide rates (per 100000 of the population per annum) were found: 7·4 for all races; 11·3 for men of all races; 3·0 for women of all races; 6·9 for all African residents; 11·2 for African males; 2·2 for African females; 12·8 for all Africans above the age of 14 years; 20·9 for all European residents; 20·7 for all European males; 21·0 for all European females. The male: female ratio among the Africans was 5:1. There was a tendency for the suicide rate among the Africans to rise with age. Differences in suicide rates between African and European residents were found not to be statistically significant. Though hanging was by far the most commonly used method of suicide by Africans, Europeans and ‘doubtful suicides’ among Africans preferred other methods to a statistically significant degree. It is suggested that the role of other methods in African suicides may well have been underestimated in the past. No definite seasonal variation in suicide rates was found. Domestic quarrels, mental illness and physical diseases would appear to be some of the important precipitating factors of suicide in Lusaka. It is also suggested that the question of whether or not suicide is rare in Africans cannot be answered until such time as when reliable figures are available in Africa.
Positive relationship between the catecholaminergic turnover and the DST results in depression
Authors: Maes M. , Vandewoude M. , Schotte C. , Martin M. , Blockx P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In the past some workers have reported positive relationships between indices of noradrenaline activity and measures of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA)-axis function. In order to investigate these relations, the authors measured noradrenaline, adrenaline and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) in 24 h urine samples of 72 depressed females. Serum adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations were determined before and after administration of 1 mg of dexamethasone. Cortisol non-suppressors exhibited a significantly higher noradrenaline, adrenaline and VMA excretion as compared to cortisol suppressors. We determined significantly positive correlations between the postdexamethasone cortisol values and the excretion rates of noradrenaline and VMA. These indices of noradrenaline activity correlated neither with the baseline cortisol and ACTH nor with the postdexamethasone ACTH values.
Neurotic symptoms and subjective well-being in a community sample: different sides of the same coin?
Authors: Jorm A. F. , Duncan-Jones P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Community survey data on neurotic symptoms and subjective well-being scales were examined with principal components analysis. The two types of scales were found to load on separate, but negatively correlated, factors. Furthermore, some differential correlates of the two types of scale were found, but the differences were not great. It was concluded that neurotic symptom and well-being scales do largely measure different ends of a single continuum, but well-being scales seem to have an extraversion component not shared by neurotic symptom scales. Subjective well-being measures may be useful in epidemiological surveys where it is desirable to discriminate among low symptom scorers.
Life events and social stress in puerperal psychoses: absence of effect
Authors: Dowlatshahi D. , Paykel E. S.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Thirty-three patients admitted to hospital with severe early onset puerperal psychiatric disorders were compared with matched normal puerperal controls. Interviews, which were administered after recovery, covered life events in the previous thirteen months and detailed assessment of previous and personal history, pregnancy and labour, other aspects of stress, social support, and marital relationships. No differences, except for previous history of psychiatric disorder, were found between patients and controls or between patients with depressive and with other diagnoses. These findings of absence of social stress contrast with previous studies of milder post-partum depression and of disorders with onset during pregnancy, and suggest that the aetiology of severe post-partum disorders is predominantly biological.
Alpha-2 adrenergic receptor function in post-stroke depression
Authors: Barry Siobhan , Dinan Timothy G.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The growth hormone (GH) response to desipramine was measured in ten patients meeting criteria for post-stroke depression (PSD), eight age-matched post-stroke (PS) nondepressed patients and eight healthy controls. Responses were significantly blunted in patients with PSD. These findings suggest diminished alpha-2 adrenoceptor function may be an important marker for PSD.
Hedonic capacity in schizophrenics and their twins
Authors: Berenbaum Howard , Oltmanns Thomas F. , Gottesman Irving I.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Audio-taped interviews recorded in the Gottesman–Shields schizophrenic twin series (17 pairs of identical twins, 14 pairs of fraternal same-sex twins, and 12 unpaired twins) were rated for level of hedonic capacity. Schizophrenics who were not hospitalized at the time of their interview were rated significantly lower (more impaired) on hedonic capacity than their normal co-twins. A significant negative correlation was also found between hedonic capacity and severity of illness. Hedonic capacity was found to be genetically influenced, although it appeared to be less heritable than the global diagnosis of schizophrenia. These results are consistent with Meehl's suggestion that reduced hedonic capacity is a heritable personality trait which potentiates the development of schizophrenia among those who are genetically predisposed to the disorder. The results suggest that anhedonia is not a phenotypic vulnerability marker for schizophrenia.
Dysfunctional attitudes and vulnerability to persistent depression
Authors: Williams J. M. G. , Healy D. , Teasdale J. D. , White W. , Paykel E. S.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Forty-four patients who met criteria for major depressive disorder were assessed for presence of dysfunctional attitudes and negative self-schema on admission. After six weeks, of sixteen patients who had shown high dysfunctional attitudes, six (35%) had not recovered. By contrast, of seventeen patients who had been equally severely depressed at the outset, but had low dysfunctional attitudes, only one (6%) had not recovered. The rating by the patients of themselves, as opposed to their attitudes, did not however predict. Thirty-one patients were tested six months later. Twenty-one (68%) remained asymptomatic, ten patients had relapsed or not responded to treatment, but neither type of admission measure predicted the state at this point. This is consistent with previous evidence which suggests that vulnerable attitudes assessed when symptomatic predict recovery, but that for prediction of relapse, cognitive measures need to be used when the patient is asymptomatic.
Abnormal eating attitudes in London schoolgirls — a prospective epidemiological study: outcome at twelve month follow-up
Authors: Patton G. C. , Johnson-Sabine E. , Wood K. , Mann A. H. , Wakeling A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The occurrence and course of eating disorder in a large representative population of 15-year-old London schoolgirls has been assessed using a two-stage survey methodology. Attempts to control weight were common and often transient. Dieting was in the great majority of girls found to be a benign practice without progression to more extreme concerns about food and weight. However, a small proportion of dieters did become cases and formed the majority of new cases found at follow-up. The relative risk of dieters becoming cases was eight times that of non-dieters. Many factors conventionally associated with eating disorder were associated more with attempting weight control than caseness. These included pre-morbid personality, pre-morbid obesity and family weight pathology. Other factors, including social class, career choice and psychosexual development, had no association either with attempting weight control or caseness.
Aircraft noise and social factors in psychiatric hospital admission rates: a re-examination of some data
Authors: Kryter Karl D.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Jenkinset al.(1981) published data on rates of admission to three psychiatric hospitals for 12 large samples of people living near London's Heathrow Airport. The percentages of people who were classified as being affluent, living alone, males having moved within last five years, unemployed, and immigrants, as well as the levels of aircraft noise to which they were exposed, were given for each of the samples. Multiple-correlation analyses revealed the following: (1) movement of males in the previous five years was not generally associated with hospital admission rates; (2) immigrant status, living alone, and affluence were negatively, and generally statistically significantly, associated with admission rates; and (3) unemployment and level of exposure to aircraft noise were positively, and generally statistically significantly, associated with admission rates. Unlike the conclusion reached by Jenkinset al., it is concluded from the present analysis of their data that there are statistically significant associations between psychiatric hospital admission rates and level of exposure to aircraft noise. This difference in findings appears to be due to a more comprehensive assessment of the interrelations of all the tested socioeconomic and aircraft noise variables by the multiple-correlation procedure used in the present analysis, in comparison with the graphic modelling assessment applied by Jenkinset al.to a limited portion of the socioeconomic data. Together, the five socioeconomic and aircraft noise variables correlate at about 0·98 with hospitalization rates for most population groups.
Symptoms of depression in two communities
Authors: Comstock George W. , Helsing Knud J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Histories of depression-related symptoms were obtained from 3845 randomly selected adult residents of Kansas City, Missouri, and Washington County, Maryland. Depressed persons were slightly more common in Kansas City than in Washington County but within the latter area no urban–rural differences were observed. More depressed persons were found among blacks than among whites. Slightly more white females than males were depressed; no significant differences were found between black females and males. After adjustment for the effects of other independent variables, the probability of having symptoms of depression was highest among persons who were young adults, unmarried, not employed outside the home, poorly paid, and not well educated.
An evaluation of an interview assessment of marriage
Authors: Quinton David , Rutter Michael , Rowlands Olwen
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

An interview assessment of marriage relationships is described. It is shown to have good inter-rater reliability, high consistency across the accounts of both marriage partners and to be resistant to methodologic bias. A four-year follow-up study demonstrated high predictive validity to later marriage breakdown. The marriage measure also showed a strong association with behavioural deviance in the children. The intercorrelations between individual measures of various aspects of the marriage and the summary measure are given. A shortened version of the interview is described and preliminary findings are given on its validity.
Design, development and use of a standardized interview to assess social maladjustment and dysfunction in community studies
Authors: Clare Anthony W. , Cairns Victoria E.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A standardized social interview, designed to assess social maladjustment and dysfunction is described. The interview is composed of items grouped under the 3 headings of Material conditions, Social management and Satisfaction. Ratings are made on a 4-point scale by interviewers standardized in its use. The interview, which takes approximately 45 minutes to administer, covers housing, finance, occupation, social and leisure activities, and relationships with significant individuals in the subject's life. The inter-rater reliability is assessed and principal component analyses performed, and the results of these are provided and discussed. Various methods of scoring are examined and the use of the schedule in a number of studies in the setting of general practice is described.
The GH response to clonidine in endogenous as compared with reactive depression
Authors: Checkley S. A. , Glass I. B. , Thompson C. , Corn T. , Robinson P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The growth hormone (GH) response to clonidine was measured in 10 patients meeting standardized criteria for ‘endogenous’ depression and in 10 patients individually matched for age and sex but meeting the corresponding criteria for ‘reactive’ depression. In a paired comparison of patients with reactive and endogenous depression (matched for age and sex), the GH response to clonidine was less in the endogenous member of the pair in 8 out of 10 cases. These findings are interpreted as evidence of a defect at alpha2 adrenoceptors in neuroendocrine systems in endogenous as compared with reactive depression.
The effects of mirror confrontation on self-estimation of body dimensions in anorexia nervosa, bulimia and two control groups
Authors: Norris D. L.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Using an apparatus which provides a continuous horizontal slit of light of variable length, self-estimations of 4 body widths were carried out before and after a mirror confrontation procedure on 4 groups of young female subjects – anorexic, bulimic, emotionally disturbed and normal. The results confirm that anorexic subjects overestimate body size, although in this study the hip diameter was frequently underestimated. Bulimic and emotionally disturbed subjects overestimate to much the same degree as anorexics, whereas normal subjects are remarkably accurate with the exception of the head width. Mirror confrontation resulted in reduced estimations in the majority of subjects, but significant differences were found in the degree to which this occurred in the 4 groups; anorexic subjects showed the greatest change and normal subjects the least. This relative instability of the anorexic subject's body image cannot be explained simply on the basis of a self-correcting experience, as many estimations which were initially below actual width were even lower on re-testing. In the anorexic and bulimic groups a significant correlation was found between the degree of overestimation after mirror confrontation and progress in treatment, as measured on a specially devised rating scale. Possible explanations for these findings and their diagnostic and prognostic implications are discussed.
The reliability of estimates of body width and their relationship to current measured body size among anorexic and normal subjects
Authors: Ben-Tovim David I. , Crisp Arthur H.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Normal and anorexic subjects' estimates of their own body width were obtained. The estimates were reliable measures, but they did not correlate with the subjects' actual body widths. The implications of this finding especially when relating anorexic patients' self-perceptions to their clinical outcome, are discussed. It seems preferable to use such estimates untransformed by division with the subjects' actual body widths.
Parental psychiatric disorder: effects on children
Authors: Rutter Michael , Quinton David
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A 4-year prospective study was undertaken of the families of 137 newly referred English speaking psychiatric patients with children at home aged under 15 years. The group comprised a representative sample of such patients living in one inner London borough. Teacher questionnaires were obtained yearly for all children of school age in the families, and for age-, sex- and classroom-matched controls. Detailed standardized interviews were undertaken yearly with parent-patients and with their spouses. A comparison was also made with a control group of families in the general population with 10-year-old children. Patients' families differed in terms of a higher rate of psychiatric disorder in spouses and a much higher level of family discord. Both parental mental disorder and marital discord tended to persist over the 4-year period, but persistence of both was much more marked when the parent had a personality disorder. The children of psychiatric patients had an increased rate of persistent emotional/behavioural disturbance, which tended to involve disorders of conduct. The psychiatric risk to the children was greatest in the case of personality disorders associated with high levels of exposure to hostile behaviour. Boys showing temperamental risk features were most vulnerable to the ill-effects associated with parental mental disorder.
Life events and depression in women: a structural equation model
Authors: Fergusson D. M. , Horwood L. J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A non-recursive structural equation model designed to examine the reciprocal relationship between life event reports and depressive symptoms in women is presented. The model was fitted to data from a 2-year longitudinal study of life events and depression in a sample of women with 5-year-old children. The findings suggest that life event reports may be influenced by mental state; however, even when this tendency is taken into account, there is still a substantial relationship between life events and depressive symptoms in women. This indicates that it is unlikely that the life events/depression correlation can be explained simply by a tendency for depressed women to over-report life events.
Centrum semiovale white matter CT changes associated with normal ageing, Alzheimer's disease and late life depression with and without reversible dementia
Authors: Pearlson Godfrey D. , Rabins Peter V. , Burns Alistair
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A standardized, reliable means of assessing CT attenuation numbers in the centrum semiovale and surrounding grey matter was developed. This was applied to cranial CT scans of 60 normal controls (36 aged > 60 years), 25 elderly patients with major depression (14 of whom had the dementia syndrome of depression), and 10 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Subjects received neuropsychological evaluation.

Centrum semiovale (CSO) CT attenuation numbers decreased with increasing age for both white and grey matter. White matter attenuation values best discriminated elderly controls from the three patient groups. Both white and grey matter CSO attenuation values correlated with performance on a number of cognitive tasks.
Season of birth for Alzheimer's disease in the Southern Hemisphere
Authors: Henderson A. S. , Korten A. E. , Jorm A. F. , McCusker E. , Creasey H. , Broe G. A.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Season of birth was compared in 170 clinically diagnosed cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Australia and 170 matched controls. A further comparison was made with a large population sample of the elderly. No evidence for seasonality of birth was found. This finding held not only for the total series of 170 cases, but also for the 143 born in the Southern Hemisphere, for sporadic cases, and for those with earlier onset. These negative findings in Australia contrast with the positive finding in London by Philpot et al. (1989).
Perceived interpersonal risk factors of non-endogenous depression
Authors: Hickie I. , Parker G. , Wilhelm K. , Tennant C.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

In a case-control study, two potential interpersonal risk factors of non-endogenous depression, namely a patient's perception of their current intimate partner as dysfunctional and a patient's recall of exposure to previous deprivational parenting, were quantified. The interpersonal characteristics of the partner were assessed principally by a brief self-report questionnaire, the Intimate Bond Measure (IBM). By cross-sectional and longitudinal comparison of this instrument with other interview-derived and self-report measures, the convergent, discriminant and predictive validity of the IBM in depressed patients was established. Further, little evidence of any distorting effect of depressed mood or neuroticism was detected. The perception of the current intimate partner as dysfunctional imparted a risk to non-endogenous depression of at least five times, while reported exposure to parental ‘affectionless control’ was quantified as a four times' risk. Importantly, IBM care scores predicted the course of the depressive disorder over a six-month period.
Heartbeat and arrhythmia perception in diabetic autonomic neuropathy
Authors: Pauli Paul , Hartl Lydia , Marquardt Christian , Stalmann Henrica , Strian Friedrich
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A comparative study of diabetics with autonomic neuropathy (N = 13) as against non-neuropathic diabetics (N = 16) and healthy control persons (N = 20) was carried out with respect to heart rate both at rest and under stress, frequency of cardiac arrhythmias in a 24-h ECG and accuracy of heartbeat and arrhythmia perception. In the subjects with diabetic autonomic neuropathy, the spontaneous variability and stress-induced reactivity of the heart rate as well as the number of tachycardic episodes were reduced, whereas the frequency of ventricular extrasystoles was somewhat increased. Impaired heartbeat perception and a complete loss of perception of arrhythmias as a consequence of neuropathic deafferentation could be demonstrated. Cardiac perception disorders also play a vital role in other clinical problems, e.g. silent myocardial infarction and lack of awareness of hypoglycaemia in diabetes mellitus.
Follow-up studies of anorexia nervosa: a review of four decades of outcome research
Authors: Steinhausen H.-Ch. , Rauss-Mason C. , Seidel R.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

In 1983 we presented a systematic analysis of the available literature on the course of anorexia nervosa (Steinhausen & Glanville, 1983a). The survey was based on 45 English and German language studies published between 1953 and 1981. During the past decade there has been a striking increase of publications related to eating disorders in general. This pertains as well to follow-up studies on anorexia nervosa. In addition to studies compiled in our previous report, we were able to locate another 22 follow-up studies published in major English and German language journals between 1981 and 1989.
The incidence and prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in primary care
Authors: Hoek Hans W.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

General practitioners using DSM-III criteria have studied the incidence and prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in a large (N = 151781) representative sample of the Dutch population. The incidence rate for anorexia nervosa is 6·3 and for bulimia nervosa 9·9 per year per 100000 population. The prevalence of bulimia nervosa is three times higher in larger cities than in smaller urbanized or rural areas, while anorexia nervosa is found with almost equal frequency in areas with a different degree of urbanization.
In sickness and in health: associations between physical and mental well-being, employment and parental status in a British nationwide sample of married women
Authors: Elliott B. Jane , Huppert Felicia A.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Many studies have been published which have examined the relationship between paid employment and women's health. As employment outside the home is likely to have differential effects for women with different family commitments, further analysis taking account of the association between paid employment and household circumstances is necessary.

Using data from a large, representative British sample, this paper examines the effects of interactions between paid employment, social class, and parental status on women's health. The results show differential effects of these variables on physical and mental health. The most important influence on women's mental health (as measured by the 30-item General Health Questionnaire) is the age of their youngest child; women with children under five are most likely to show signs of psychological disturbance. With respect to physical health, age of the youngest child has no significant effect, but there is an interaction between employment status and social class. Paid employment, particularly full-time work, is associated with good physical health for middle-class women but not for working-class women.
The use of the Clinical Interview Schedule for the evaluation of mental health in the aged community
Authors: Blay S. L. , Mari J. De J. , Ramos L. R. , Ferraz M. P. T.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

As a part of a survey to study the health and living conditions of the elderly population, a random sample of residents aged 65 and over are examined using the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS) in order to evaluate their psychiatric status. The aim of this study is to evaluate this standard method of assessment as a case-identification instrument in our country. The schedule was completed by 91 subjects. It is easily administered, easily scored, and economical on time. Its completion rate is high. The weighted total scores (WTS) range from 0 to 48. Using the case criteria defined by Cooper & Schwarz (1982), 27 subjects (30%) are considered cases and 64 (70%) are regarded as non-cases. The sensitivity coefficients for the WTS are examined against the overall severity rating at different cut-off points. The optimum cut-off can be anywhere between 16 and 20 points. The WTS has higher validity coefficients to detect the following diagnostic categories (sensitivity, specificity): normals (100%, −); personality (100%, 92%) and affective disorders (100%, 75%). In general the CIS items are given low ratings. Psychotic symptoms are rarely found in this sample. One main problem arose: the item depersonalization is misunderstood by some patients probably because of interpreting it as an upsetting memory disturbance.
A prospective study of the effects of lithium on thyroid function and on the prevalence of antithyroid antibodies
Authors: Myers D. H. , Carter R. A. , Burns B. H. , Armond A. , Hussain S. B. , Chengapa Vinnie K.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Tests of thyroid function and pathology were carried out on 133 patients before they were treated with lithium (Li+). Of the 12 patients who subsequently became hypothyroid during treatment with lithium 9 had, before the commencement of treatment, thyroid autoantibodies and/or an exaggerated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) response to thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), whereas 3 patients had neither of these indicators. Lithium administration was accompanied by a rise in thyroid antibody titre in 20 patients but a fall in only 5, a statistically significant difference. Evidence that it may be an immunostimulant is discussed. Li+-induced thyroid failure cannot be accurately predicted, and may occur suddenly. The best minimum safeguard, therefore, is serial thyroxine (T4) (or free T4) estimation, supplemented if equivocal by a free thyroxine index (FTI), a basal TSH and, if doubt remains, by a TRH test.
Genetic factors in the sex ratio of major depression
Authors: Merikangas Kathleen R. , Weissman Myrna M. , Pauls David L.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A twofold increase in the prevalence of depression among women has been consistently observed. Several possible explanations, including methodological, endocrine, psychosocial, and genetic factors, have been proposed for the increased rates of depression among women. This paper describes the analysis of data from a family-genetic study of depressed probands to examine whether genetic factors can explain the preponderance of depressed females. Our data indicate that the excess of females with major depression cannot be attributed to increased genetic loading for depression in women. Other factors which may explain increased rates of major depression in women are discussed.
Parasuicide and unemployment among men in Edinburgh 1968–82
Authors: Platt S. , Kreitman N.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The ecological association between unemployment and parasuicide rates among males in Edinburgh over the period 1968–82 was positive and highly significant (r = 0·77). Similarly, the two rates were found to be correlated across the city wards in 1971 (r = 0·76) and even more strongly in 1981 (r = 0·95). Throughout the period the parasuicide rate among the unemployed was nearly always more than 10 times higher than that among the employed. The long-term unemployed were at much higher risk than those out of work for lesser periods, although the impact of recent job loss was marked. Population attributable risk has shown a tendency to rise in line with the upward trend in the unemployment rate, despite the decline in relative risk over the period. The findings were considered consistent with the view that unemployment increases the parasuicide rate.
The Chinese version of the General Health Questionnaire: does language make a difference?
Authors: Chan David W.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The English and Chinese versions of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were administered to a sample of 72 bilingual respondents for the evaluation of version equivalence by a series of item analyses, reliability analyses and factor analyses. Although certain notable discrepancies were observed at the item level, the two versions were found to be comparable at the scale level. In addition, cogent evidence was provided for the relative robustness of the symptom dimensions as assessed by the two versions of the GHQ.
Psychological enquiry: a contribution to cancer research
Authors: Greer S.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A review of psychological contributions to cancer research is presented and a theoretical framework of heuristic value for such investigations is suggested. The author's study of women with breast cancer is described and methodological limitations are considered. There is evidence that psychological and psychobiological studies can make a useful contribution to cancer research, providing they are based on rigorous scientific methods.
Left-sided Parkinson's disease is associated with greater anxiety and depression
Authors: Fleminger S.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Seventeen patients with Parkinson's disease which was markedly asymmetric and worse on the right side of the body (RHP) were compared with 13 patients whose signs were worse on the left (LHP). The two groups of patients were well matched for age, duration of symptoms, disability, overall severity of signs, and medication.

The mean scores on ratings of depression, using both a self-rating scale and semi-structured interview rating, were almost twice as great in the LHP group. The LHP group also had significantly more symptoms of anxiety. The prevalence of clinically significant psychopathology was increased about five fold in the LHP group compared with the RHP group.

There was a close correlation between anxiety and depressive symptoms. The depression experienced by the patients was ‘atypical’, with relatively little anhedonia and evidence of a negative view of self, and prominent symptoms of anxiety. The best predictor of symptoms of depression and anxiety was a measure of social support and stress. They also correlated with the overall severity of Parkinson's disease.
The development of the Ben-Tovim Walker Body Attitudes Questionnaire (BAQ), a new measure of women's attitudes towards their own bodies
Authors: Ben-Tovim David I. , Walker M. Kay
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A measure has been developed which assesses a broad range of attitudes which women hold towards their bodies. The Ben-Tovim Walker Body Attitudes Questionnaire (BAQ) is a 44-item self-report questionnaire whose subscales encompass six distinct aspects of body experience (feelings of overall fatness, self-disparagement, strength, salience of weight, feelings of attractiveness and consciousness of lower body fat). The development of the BAQ involved administering increasingly refined versions to a wide range of female respondents. The final version appears to have satisfactory psychometric properties. When the BAQ scores of 29 patients with anorexia nervosa were compared with those of a large community sample, a more complex pattern of deviant attitudes appeared than would previously have been suspected. The BAQ appears to have potential as a research instrument in this and other fields in which the measurement of attitudes towards the body is important.
Performance of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) as a screening test for dementia
Authors: Jorm A. F. , Scott R. , Cullen J. S. , MacKinnon A. J.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A 26-item informant questionnaire (IQCODE) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were compared as screening tests for dementia in a sample of 69 patients. Dementia diagnoses were made by both a clinician and a research interview using a computer algorithm to meet DSM-III-R and ICD-10 (Draft) criteria. The IQCODE was found to perform at least as well as the MMSE against all diagnoses and significantly better when judged against the algorithmic ICD-10 diagnoses. Also, the IQCODE was found to be uncontaminated by pre-morbid ability as estimated from the National Adult Reading Test and to have very high test–retest reliability after a delay of a day or more.
Noise, discomfort and mental health:A review of the socio-medical implications of disturbance by noise
Authors: McLean E. K. , Tarnopolsky A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The published work relating to the effects of noise on man and animals is reviewed from the standpoint of mental health. Evidence from a number of different disciplines shows that the presence of meaning in the noise is of critical importance in determining the persistence of physical reactions to the noise. The existing evidence linking noise with mental illness is found to be unsatisfactory. The concept of annoyance and the relevance of noise annoyance to mental illness are discussed. Some specific suggestions for further work are put forward.
Measuring gesture: its cultural and clinical correlates
Authors: Sainsbury Peter , Wood Elizabeth
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

An ultrasonic system for measuring psychomotor behaviour is described, and then applied to compare the extent to which English and French students gesticulate.

The findings supported the hypotheses that: (1) French students gesticulate more than the English both when using descriptive speech and when discussing their feelings; (2) descriptive speech elicits more gesture then affectively-toned speech; (3) when verbal expression is more difficult the use of gesture increases; (4) individuals tend to maintain a characteristic level of gesturing.

We concluded the ultrasonic system provides a reliable and sensitive method for measuring gesture activity and can be applied clinically to the study of psychomotor behaviour.
A study of agoraphobic housewives
Authors: Buglass Dorothy , Clarke J. , Henderson A. S. , Kreitman N. , Presley A. S.
Published: July 2009

synopsis

Thirty married agoraphobic women referred to out-patient clinics in Edinburgh were compared with ‘normal’ controls (selected from GP records and screened for the absence of psychiatric symptoms) matched on age, sex, social class and marital status. The agoraphobics' husbands were similarly compared with the husbands of the controls. On most measures of attitudes, behaviour, domestic organization and marital interaction, the 2 groups were strikingly similar.
Adenosine 3′5′ cyclic monophosphate metabolism in patients with severe depressive illness
Authors: Jarrett David B. , Newell Barbara , Davies Brian , Coghlan John P.
Published: July 2009

synopsis

The daily excretion of adenosine 3′5′ cyclic monophosphate (c-AMP) in a group of 19 patients with a severe depressive illness was found to be significantly decreased when compared with that from a group of euthymic patients being treated for other disorders in the same ward. The daily excretion of the depressed patients increased during the period of treatment and recovery from the illness. Treatment with a tricyclic antidepressant caused a greater increase than electroconvulsive treatment (ECT). There was no difference between the mean plasma c-AMP concentration of the depressed and euthymic groups. The mean CSF c-AMP concentration was not different from the mean plasma c-AMP concentration in 12 patients with severe depression. There was no direct correlation between the CSF and plasma concentrations within patients. It was concluded that there may be a reversible disturbance in the renal metabolism of c-AMP in patients with severe depression.
A survey of a long-stay psychiatric population: implications for community services
Authors: Brown J. R. W. Christie , Ebringer Lorna , Freedman L. S.
Published: July 2009

synopsis

Two hundred and twenty long-stay psychiatric patients were surveyed by means of semi-standardized interviews and by obtaining information from nursing staff and case records. Each patient's needs for accommodation and employment were assessed as if immediate discharge from hospital were being contemplated. The results of the exercise emphasize the need for long-stay to permanent accommodation. The validity of this method of assessing community care requirements is discussed.
Suicides by opium and its derivatives, in England and Wales, 1850—1950
Authors: Clarke Michael J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In the mid-nineteenth century opium and its derivatives, such as laudanum and morphine, were the most common poisons in suicides in England and Wales. With legislative restrictions on these ‘dangerous drugs’ such a use declined. This study attempts to show this trend and indicates the large variety of these opium-related suicides.
Sensitivity to noise in a community sample: I. Measurement of psychiatric disorder and personality
Authors: Stansfeld S. A. , Clark C. R. , Jenkins L. M. , Tarnopolsky A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A sample of 77 women of high and low noise sensitivity, living in areas of high and low exposure to aircraft noise drawn from the 1977 West London Survey, were interviewed in the community in 1980. Women of high, intermediate and low noise sensitivity in 1980 were compared for measures of psychiatric disorder, personality and reactivity to the other sensory stimuli. In addition, the noise sensitivity measures defining the three groups in 1980 were compared with further measures of noise sensitivity. High noise sensitive women exhibited significantly more psychiatric symptoms, higher neuroticism scores, and greater reactivity to other sensory stimuli than intermediate and low noise sensitive women.
Cognitive performance of medicated schizophrenics with tardive dyskinesia
Authors: Collerton Daniel , Fairbairn Andrew , Britton Peter
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Twenty schizophrenic patients with tardive dyskinesia and an equal number of matched controls were tested on a novel cognitive task. The task had two components: cued response and spatial memory. Relative to controls, the dyskinetic subjects showed a superior cued response performance but an equal spatial memory ability. We speculate that this selective facilitation may reflect dopaminergic hyperactivity in the dyskinetic group.
Food antibodies in acute psychoses
Authors: Rix K. J. B. , Ditchfield Janet , Freed D. L. J. , Goldberg D. P. , Hillier Valerie F.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Antibodies to a variety of foods, and in particular cereals, were measured in serum from 100 patients with acute psychoses and 100 elective surgical patients. For 13 out of 14 foods to which non-IgE antibodies were detected the schizophrenics had slightly more antibodies than the controls. There was an association between a possible secondary mania and the presence of IgE antibodies to wheat or rye. However, neither the schizophrenia nor the mania findings can be regarded as evidence for food allergy causing psychiatric disorder, since the immunological findings in both cases may represent consequences of the illnesses or their treatment, rather than causes of the illness.
A study of the classification of mental ill-health in general practice
Authors: Jenkins Rachel , Smeeton Nigel , Marinker Marshall , Shepherd Michael
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

An outline is provided of an experimental study of the classification of mental ill-health presented to general practitioners (GPs). Videotaped real-life consultations were assessed by 27 GPs for the purpose. A high degree of inter-observer variation was recorded. Some of the implications of the findings are discussed.
Validation of the Italian version of the GHQ in a general practice setting
Authors: Fontanesi F. , Gobetti C. , Zimmermann-Tansella Ch. , Tansella M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS) were administered to 120 consecutive attendere at a general practice in Northern Italy run by a doctor who had a formal psychiatric training. The Italian versions of both the GHQ and the CIS were found to be feasible instruments for general practice studies in Italy. GHQ misclassification rates, sensitivity and specificity values are presented for different cut-off scores, a total score of 5 or more being the best discriminator between ‘cases’ and ‘non-cases’. The prevalence of confirmed cases in this sample was 47·5%, a rate higher than those reported so far in developed and developing countries.
A doctor's dilemma: the case of William Harvey's mentally retarded nephew
Authors: Neugebauer Richard
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In June 1637 William Harvey petitioned the Court of Wards and Liveries, a legal incompetency court in early modern England, for a grant of the custody of his mentally disabled nephew, William Fowke. ‘Idiocy’ and ‘lunacy’ were the two medico-legal categories for insanity used by the Court and Harvey requested that his nephew be inspected for idiocy. However, the legal and administrative history of the Court indicates that in the 1630s idiocy (but not lunacy) grants were prejudicial to the assets and economic security of retarded persons. Since petitioners' wishes, more than clinical status, usually determined the diagnostic label assigned to referred individuals, idiocy grants were not sought by persons of some social standing. Harvey's idiocy referral probably reflects his allegiance to his own clinical observations in the face of opposing social norms and family advantage.
Structural brain CT changes and cognitive deficits in elderly depressives with and without reversible dementia (‘pseudodementia’)
Authors: Pearlson Godfrey D. , Rabins Peter V. , Kim Won S. , Speedie Lynn J. , Moberg Paul J. , Burns Alistair , Bascom Mary J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Twenty-six elderly (> 60 yrs) patients with DSM-III major depression were compared to 13 patients with NINCDS/ADRDA probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to 31 screened normal controls. Subjects were matched on age and sex. Fifteen of the 26 depressed patients were cognitively impaired on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) upon admission, but after treatment returned to the normal range. These 15 patients were defined as having the dementia syndrome of depression (DOD). The remaining 11 depressed patients were termed depressed, cognitively normal (DCN). All subjects received standardized cranial CT scans for assessment of ventricular brain ratio (VBR) and CT attenuation numbers. Subjects also received neuropsychological evaluation.

CT values for the 26 depressed patients lay between those of AD patients and normal controls. CT values for the DOD subgroup clustered near those of AD patients. Patterns of cognitive deficits and correlations of CT attenuation values with cognitive measures were also similar in AD and DOD. Most patients were reassessed at a mean of two years after initial testing; of the 11 of the 15 DOD re-examined, only one had undergone cognitive decline. By contrast, all AD patients retested had declined significantly. Episodes of DOD and DCN tended to ‘breed true’. This study suggests that while patients with DOD may have underlying structural brain abnormalities, obvious short-term progression to AD does not commonly occur.
Effects of light treatment upon mood and melatonin in patients with seasonal affective disorder
Authors: Winton F. , Corn T. , Huson L. W. , Franey C. , Arendt J. , Checkley S. A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Ten patients with seasonal affective disorder received the following treatments for 5 days each: (a) artificial daylight (2500 lux) from 20.00 to 23.00 and from 07.00 to 10.00 hours; (b) red light (300 lux) from 20.00 to 23.00 and from 07.00 to 10.00 hours; (c) artificial daylight (2500 lux) from 22.00 to 23.00 and from 07.00 to 08.00 hours. The antidepressant effect of treatment (a) was superior to that of treatment (b), suggesting that the effect of light treatment in winter depression is more than that of a placebo. The antidepressant effect of treatment (a) was superior to that of treatment (c), although these two treatments equally suppressed plasma melatonin concentrations. Consequently, in these patients there is a dissociation between the effect of light treatment on melatonin and the reduction of depression ratings.
Is puerperal psychosis the same as bipolar manic-depressive disorder? A family study
Authors: Dean C. , Williams R. J. , Brockington I. F.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The first degree relatives of three groups of women were interviewed; 51 women who had had an illness within two weeks of childbirth and no non-puerperal episodes (the puerperal group), 33 who had puerperal and non-puerperal episodes (the mixed group), and 19 women with bipolar manic-depressive disorder who had non-puerperal episodes only (the manic-depressive group).

Over 60% of the affected relatives in all three groups had affective illnesses; in the main these were not puerperal. There were significantly more first degree relatives who had had general practitioner or hospital treatment for psychiatric illness in the puerperal group and in the mixed group than in the manic-depressive group. The puerperal patients had a better prognosis in terms of their illness (number of relapses and time on medication), work functioning and social functioning than the manic-depressive group and the mixed group. The mixed group had an earlier age of onset than the manic-depressive group and the puerperal group. The hypothesis that puerperal psychosis is the same as bipolar manic-depressive disorder was not upheld. The mixed group and the puerperal group were similar with respect to the risk in first degree relatives but differed in terms of prognosis.

There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to puerperal episodes in first-degree relatives, although the rate of puerperal psychosis in the first-degree relatives of the puerperal patients was significantly greater than in the general population. The hypothesis that there is a specific genetically determined puerperal psychosis was not supported. Women who had had an illness with an onset within two weeks of childbirth (mixed and puerperal) subsequently had an illness following 36% of their childbirths. In women who had had puerperal and non-puerperal episodes (mixed) the risk was higher; over 50 % of deliveries in these women were followed by psychiatric illness.
Psychiatric cases: an ethnography of the referral process
Authors: Morgan David
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Investigation into the referral histories of a consecutive series of new patients attending two psychiatric out-patient clinics questioned the assumption that only the more severe and problematic cases are selected by general practitioners for specialist referral. In 40% of cases, clinical indications only became decisive in relation to emergent difficulties in managing the case, while 38% of patients or their relatives requested referral. The implications of these observations are considered in relation to alternative models of psychiatric intervention in the management of psychosocial disorders in primary care.