bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychological test performance and sedation thresholds of elderly dements, depressives and depressives with incipient brain change
Authors: Davies Gaius , Hamilton Susan , Hendrickson D. E. , Levy Raymond , Post Felix
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

As expected, dements, depressives and patients with a mixed psychopathology were differentiated from one another on the sedation threshold measure and on a number of psychological tests. In depressives responding to treatment significant changes in physiological and psychological measures, which had been reported in an earlier study, could not be replicated except for an increase of psychomotor speed. In the present sample of patients there were significant correlations between various psychological measures and between them and the levels of the sedation threshold, suggesting that sedation thresholds and psychological tests measured related cerebral functions. Evidence obtained from the earlier investigations to the effect that cerebral age changes short of those occurring in dementia may facilitate the occurrence of depression in late life was only weakly confirmed by the replication study.
The survival of hysteria
Authors: Lewis Aubrey
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

There have been many battles in the last 100 years between those who consider hysteria to be a ‘morbid entity’ or ‘disease’ and those who would like to drop it once and for all. The controversy still goes on. It has not been settled by follow-up studies or by applying genetic considerations. Hysteria is a tough subject, unlikely to be killed so long as clinicians find it useful, if not indispensable.
Medical Research Council Developmental Psychology Unit
Authors: O'Connor N.
Published: July 2009

In 1967 a proposal was made by the Medical Research Council that a unit be set up to consider the scholastic and behavioural skills of handicapped children and adolescents. In the beginning, three groups of studies were envisaged—those concerned with visual displays and orientation, those concerned with verbal ability and its development, and those concerned with immediate memory and the organization of perception.
Urinary free Cortisol excretion in depression
Authors: Carroll Bernard J. , Curtis George C. , Davies B. M. , Mendels J. , Sugerman A. Arthur
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Urinary free Cortisol (UFC) excretion was determined in 60 depressed inpatients and in 35 psychiatric inpatients with other disorders. The depressed patients had high daily UFC values, while the other patients excreted normal amounts. Over 40% of the depressed patients had UFC excretions in the range seen in Cushing's disease, while only 6% of the other patients excreted such high amounts of Cortisol. Age and sex differences did not account for the results. Among the depressed patients those with depressive neuroses excreted less than unipolar or bipolar depressives. Following treatment, more normal UFC excretion was found in depressed patients. The estimation of UFC and its clinical utility are discussed in detail. UFC determination is a simple and informative indicator of adrenal cortical activation and its application to psychoendocrine studies is recommended.
Absorption of lithium following administration of slow-release and conventional preparations
Authors: Tyrer Stephen , Hullin R. P. , Birch N. J. , Goodwin J. C.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The plasma lithium levels of 18 subjects receiving one standard and two slow-release preparations of lithium carbonate were measured at frequent intervals during the 24 hours following oral ingestion of a single dose of the drug. Although the slow-release tablets showed slow-release in vitro, this was not so in vivo. One slow-release preparation, in particular, was ineffectively absorbed by some subjects. There was no difference in the rate of absorption and excretion between the other slow-release product and the standard BP preparation. The implications of the results are discussed.
The Biometrics Research Unit of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene
Authors: Feldman Richard S.
Published: July 2009

The 1955–56 Annual Report of the Department of Research Psychology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute begins by noting that –Dr. Joseph Zubin, who had been Associate Research Scientist in this department since September, 1938, resigned January 15th, 1956 to become Principal Research Biometrician, heading a new Department [now Unit] of Biometrics Research…” While this move soon proved to be a stimulus for the development of significant new avenues of research, it by no means marked a sharp break with previous work. As Zubin has often noted, the late Carney Landis, when he was head of the Department of Research Psychology, actively fostered a variety of biometric studies, and indeed the annual reports of that department had eventually come to contain a separate section devoted to biometrics, in which the work of Zubin and his colleagues figured prominently. Much of this work would serve as the foundation of the new unit's research programme. In particular, an extensive study of prognosis in early and chronic schizophrenia had already been in progress for several years. In addition to interviews, a battery of tests was employed to sample a range of levels in the patients' functioning: psychophysical, psychophysiological, psychomotor, perceptual, behavioural, and conceptual.
Cognitive impairment in long-term benzodiazepine users
Authors: Golombok Susan , Moodley Parimala , Lader Malcolm
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In view of the very extensive and often prolonged use of benzodiazepines in therapeutic practice, this study was designed to investigate whether or not cognitive ability is impaired in longterm benzodiazepine users, and to determine the nature and extent of any deficit. Fifty patients currently taking benzodiazepines for at least one year, thirty-four who had stopped taking benzodiazepines, and a matched control group of subjects who had never taken benzodiazepines or who had taken benzodiazepines in the past for less than one year were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests designed to measure a wide range of cognitive functions. It was found that patients taking high doses of benzodiazepines for long periods of time perform poorly on tasks involving visual-spatial ability and sustained attention. This is consistent with deficits in posterior cortical cognitive function.
Personality in torticollis: a controlled study
Authors: Jahanshahi M. , Marsden C. D.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the trait scales of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory, the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a questionnaire assessing marital status and harmony were completed by 100 torticollis patients and a control group of 49 cervical spondylosis sufferers. Information regarding employment status, and events preceding onset of their complaint was also obtained. The two groups did not differ in terms of any of the personality dimensions evaluated, or in their self-reports of events prior to onset of their illness. The groups differed significantly with regards to marital status (a higher proportion of the torticollis patients were single) but not marital harmony. A significantly higher proportion of the torticollis patients were in the permanently sick category of employment status. Findings of previous studies evaluating personality in torticollis and in sufferers of other disabling physical conditions are considered, and the results are discussed in terms of the effects of disabling chronic physical disorders.
Living density and psychopathology: a re-examination of the negative model
Authors: Magaziner Jay
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Most density-pathology research has assumed that dense living conditions have ‘ pathological’ effects on urban dwellers. This study considers the possibility that both low and high density may be problematic and that in-unit and out-unit density may have interacting effects. The data included all first admissions from Chicago to 44 in-patient psychiatric facilities in Illinois during 1960–61. After controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and race, living alone, which defines low in-unit density, was associated with high admission rates, but only when the outside density was low. Among those not living alone, the contribution of density to admissions was agelinked, with interactions between in–unit and out-unit density observed in the older ages. The results lead to the general conclusions that the negative model guiding earlier research is inadequate and that in-unit and out-unit density have interacting effects on the risk of psychopathology.
The assessment of lifetime psychopathology: a comparison of two interviewing styles
Authors: Harrington Richard , Hill Jonathan , Rutter Michael , John Karen , Fudge Hazel , Zoccolillo Mark , Weissman Myrna
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A structured respondent-based version of the SADS-L interview was compared with a semi-structured investigator-based version of the same interview in terms of efficiency in assessing lifetime psychopathology. There was substantial agreement across most Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) categories, but there was less agreement on the rating of symptoms. The implications of these similarities and differences between the techniques are discussed.
Comparison of self-ratings with informant-ratings of pre-morbid personality on two personality rating scales
Authors: Dodwell David
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a study of pre-morbid personality in 56 head-injured subjects, subjects' self-ratings of pre-morbid personality were compared with informants' ratings of the subjects' pre-morbid personality on two personality questionnaires (the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and the Marke-Nyman Temperament Scale (MNTS)). Correlations between self-ratings and informantratings were positive and significant for all three MNTS and for EPI Extraversion and Lie scales, but not for EPI Neuroticism, where the lack of subject-informant correlation was attributed to contamination of the self-rating of the trait measure by current abnormalities of mental state. Further analyses supported previous evidence that the MNTS ‘Validity’ scale may predict the development of psychiatric symptoms.
Validation of the 30-item General Health Questionnaire in early pregnancy
Authors: Sharp Deborah J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

One-hundred-and-seventy-nine women attending their first antenatal clinic at two general practices in South London were asked to complete the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) as part of a larger prospective longitudinal study into childbirth-related affective disorders. The women were later interviewed at home and a standardized psychiatric interview administered. Relative operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimum cut-off point on the GHQ-30. Thirty-five per cent of the women were high scorers on the GHQ-30 (≥6) and 29% were found to be ‘cases’ at interview (CIS Overall Severity Rating ≥2).
Noise annoyance with regard to neurophysiological sensitivity, subjective noise sensitivity and personality variables
Authors: Öhrström Evy , Björkman Martin , Rylander Ragnar
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

To evaluate the relation between annoyance to environmental noise, general neurophysiological sensitivity, subjective noise sensitivity and other individual characteristics, experiments were undertaken in which 93 subjects assessed their subjective annoyance after exposure to noise under laboratory conditions. Evaluations were made of the discomfort threshold for pulsating sound, the light discomfort, and heat and cold discomfort. The heart rate and discomfort after exposure to a series of impulse noises was also determined. Subjective noise sensitivity, attitudes to noise, mood and personality characteristics of the subjects were evaluated using questionnaires.

The results show that the annoyance after exposure to noise was not closely related to the general neurophysiological sensitivity, measured as discomfort threshold for noise, heat, cold and light; or to the heart rate reaction or discomfort after exposure to impulse noise. The annoyance was highly correlated with subjectively reported noise sensitivity and with the attitude to noise. There was also a relationship with neuroticism, measured with the EPI scale.

It is suggested that the subjective noise sensitivity, attitude and neuroticism for the definition of noise sensitivity be defined in future studies of long term effects of noise exposure.
On the age-period-cohort analysis of suicide rates
Authors: Newman Stephen C. , Dyck Ronald J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Cohort analysis has become a popular method of examining national trends in suicide rates. Most of the studies investigating this phenomenon have reported a cohort effect to be present. Using a graphical approach, this paper places cohort analysis within the broader framework of age-period-cohort analysis. It is shown that published reports may have failed to identify cohort effects due to using only portions of the available data. With a simple mathematical model it is demonstrated that what appears to be a cohort effect may be a period effect, and conversely. It is recommended that suicide rates be examined for both period and cohort effects before conclusions are drawn regarding trends, and that the complete data set be used for this purpose.
Base-rates, cut-points and interaction effects: the problem with dichotomized continuous variables
Authors: Veiel H. O. F.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

On the background of the recent discussion about the appropriateness of linear difference and ratio models for testing interaction effects of social support and stress, it is argued that interaction effects are basically unstable when dichotomized continuous variables are analysed. A data set with known interrelationships of the continuous variables ‘stress’, ‘social support’, and ‘depression’ was simulated and analysed in tabular format. It is shown that the choice of cut-points for the independent variables crucially determines the size and presence of interaction effects in ratio analysis models.
Specialist mental health treatment in general practice: a meta-analysis
Authors: Balestrieri Matteo , Williams Paul , Wilkinson Greg
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A meta-analysis of studies was carried out to compare treatment by specialist mental health professionals in the general practice setting and ‘usual GP treatment ’. Overall, treatment by specialist mental health professionals had a 10% greater success rate.
How often is multiple sclerosis mistaken for a psychiatric disorder?
Authors: Skegg K. , Corwin P. A. , Skegg D. C. G.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a defined population of 112000, an attempt was made to discover every patient with multiple sclerosis. Using strict diagnostic criteria, 91 patients were identified. A search of psychiatric records for the same population revealed that 15 (16%) of these patients were referred to psychiatrists between the onset of their symptoms and the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Ten (11 %) were seen with symptoms attributable to multiple sclerosis. These symptoms were recognized as neurological in only two cases, while the other eight patients received a variety of psychiatric diagnoses.

Possible reasons for diagnostic error included the subjective nature of many early symptoms, histrionic behaviour, and psychiatric disturbance which drew attention away from physical symptoms. The results underline the caution needed when patients with physical symptoms are referred for psychiatric assessment.
Eating attitudes and disorder in young women: a general practice based survey
Authors: Meadows G. N. , Palmer R. L. , Newball E. U. M. , Kenrick J. M. T.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A postal survey with selected follow-up interviews was conducted on a complete population of females aged 18–22 registered with two group general practices in Leicestershire. The mailing included the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Crown—Crisp Experiential Index (CCEI). There was a 70% response rate and 411 usable questionnaires were returned. Twenty-eight respondents (6·8%) produced EAT scores of 30 or more. One case of anorexia nervosa and one of bulimia were identified. Interviews of high EAT scoring subjects revealed several subjects with partial syndromes which failed to fulfil diagnostic criteria for either clinical eating disorder.
Case finding for at risk drinking in general practice: cost—benefit analysis
Authors: King Michael B.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

There is an increasing need for early detection strategies to take a part in the daily routine of general practice. A cost—benefit analysis is performed for the use of the CAGE questionnaire in case finding for at risk drinkers among general practice attenders. The questionnaire is shown to be of advantage to the general practitioner over and above his usual diagnostic methods.
Psychological correlates of gastric and duodenal ulcer disease
Authors: Tennant C. , Goulston Kerry , Langeluddecke Pauline
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Psychological correlates of gastric and duodenal ulcer disease were assessed in a group of somewhat older patients with ulcer disease identified by endoscopy. Associations between both ulcer types and symptom measures (anxiety and depression) seemed only to reflect severity or chronicity of gastrointestinal symptoms or the impending endoscopy procedure. Associations with ‘trait’ psychological indices may be of causal significance. Duodenal ulcer patients had higher ‘introversion’ and ‘psychoticism’ scores (on the EPQ) than controls, while gastric ulcer patients had higher psychoticism scores and ‘trait anxiety’ scores. These findings could not be attributed to confounding variables.

When the two ulcer groups were compared, the gastric ulcer group had significantly higher neuroticism, psychoticism and hostility scores which were not attributable to confounding variables. The higher depression scores in gastric ulcer patients, however, simply reflected the greater chronicity of their physical symptoms. The groups did not differ significantly on measures of trait anxiety, tension, introversion or Type A behaviour.
Social support, dementia and depression among the elderly living in the Hobart community
Authors: Henderson A. S. , Grayson D. A. , Scott R. , Wilson J. , Rickwood D. , Kay D. W. K.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a community sample of the elderly (N = 274) in Hobart, Tasmania, cases of dementia and depression were ascertained by the Canberra Geriatric Mental State and the Mini Mental State Examination. Social relationships and support were examined by means of the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction. The elderly had fewer social relationships than younger adults, but were more content with what they did have. Elderly women had more affectional ties than elderly men. The presence of offspring in the same town increased the number of close ties and of social relationships, but was more important for men than for women. Persons with cognitive impairment or an established dementia reported that they had less social interaction than they would like. Depressed subjects reported having markedly less social interaction than the mentally healthy elderly, but did not complain that it was too little. This study provides a systematic description of the social environment of the elderly, both in mental health and in states of depression or impaired cognition.
The design and development of a screening questionnaire (CHQ) for use in community studies of mental disorders in Taiwan
Authors: Cheng Tai-Ann , Williams Paul
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The problems which arise in the use of a psychiatric screening instrument in a language and culture other than that in which it was designed and developed are considered. An account is given of the development of a psychiatric screening questionnaire suitable for use in Chinese community samples. The questionnaire was derived from a Chinese translation of the General Health Questionnaire, with the addition of specially designed, culturally-relevant items. Discriminant function analysis was then used to select a subset of 12 items which discriminated well between ‘cases’ and ‘normals’ in the community.
Frequency of self-reported ‘anxiolytic withdrawal’ symptoms in a group of female students experiencing anxiety
Authors: Rodrigo E. K. , Williams P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This study describes the occurrence of self-reported perceptual phenomena in students experiencing anxiety. Phenomena like hypersensitivity to touch, hyposensitivity to taste and smell, and unusual tastes and smells appear to be non-specific and to be closely related to the level of anxiety. They emphasize the need for the development of techniques to elicit perceptual phenomena, and to investigate their occurrence and the intensity of their phenomena in variously defined groups. These also have implications for the assessment of benzodiazepine withdrawal syndromes.
Cerebral blood flow and metabolism of oxygen and glucose in young autistic adults
Authors: Herold Sigrid , Frackowiak R. S. J. , Le Couteur A. , Rutter M. , Howlin P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Regional cerebral blood flow, oxygen consumption and glucose consumption were measured by positron emission tomography in six young autistic men. No significant differences were found between patients and normal controls for any of the physiological variables. The results do not substantiate the previous finding of glucose hypermetabolism in autism; the likely reasons for the variance in findings are discussed.
Binding of tritiated yohimbine to platelets in women with maternity blues
Authors: Best N. R. , Wiley M. , Stump K. , Elliott J. M. , Cowen P. J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Platelet α2-adrenoceptor binding was measured in 108 women in the 36th week of pregnancy, at ten and twenty days and at three and six months post-partum. An age matched non-pregnant control group of women (N= 25) was also studied. The number Bmax) of α2-adrenoceptors was elevated antepartum but fell to control values on the tenth post-partum day. At three and six months post-partum, however, α2-adrenoceptor Bmaxwas again increased. Women who developed maternity blues (N= 59) had significantly more platelet α2-adrenoceptors than those who did not (N= 49) at both ten and twenty days post-partum. In addition their α2-adrenoceptor Bmaxwas greater than controls at all time points measured except the tenth post-partum day. In contrast, the α2-adrenoceptor Bmaxof women without the blues did not differ from controls at any stage. It is suggested that women who develop maternity blues may have a relatively enduring abnormality in α2-adrenoceptor sensitivity which is associated with psychological symptoms when concentrations of circulating sex-steroids suddenly change.
Gender, family environment and schizophrenia
Authors: Goldstein Jill M. , Kreisman Dolores
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This study examined the relationship between patient's gender and family environment, and the consequences of this for the course of treatment of schizophrenia. Data for 160 DSM-III schizophrenics and a family member were obtained regarding attitudes towards treatment, tolerance of symptomatic deviance, and one-year rehospitalization and lengths of hospital stay. Findings suggest that ill sons may be sent to hospital more often and remain in hospital longer than ill daughters, in part due to social norms and expectations of parents associated with gender.
The sporadic v. familial classification given aetiological heterogeneity: II. Power analyses
Authors: Kendler Kenneth S.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This paper examines the power of the sporadic v. familial method as applied to schizophrenia and major depression. The model used assumes aetiological heterogeneity with a subpopulation of cases due to a ‘major’ environmental event and the remainder resulting from a generalized single major locus. The findings suggest that, for sample sizes to which it is commonly applied, the sporadic v. familial classification has low power to detect aetiological heterogeneity. When applied to nuclear families, substantial power requires at a minimum 100–150 proband families. If the proportion of environmental cases in the population is low, or the ‘test’ for environmental aetiology in probands does not have high sensitivity and specificity, the required sample sizes are considerably larger. Adding monozygotic twins increases the power of the method, but including second-degree relatives does not. The optimal approach to the sporadic v. familial method will differ as a function of the frequency of the disorder and the relative effort and expense of examining probands versus family members. Other methods should be considered for discriminating genetic and environmental forms of illness.
Clinical applications of visual analogue scales: a critical review
Authors: McCormack Heather M. , de L. Horne David J. , Sheather Simon
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) provide a simple technique for measuring subjective experience. They have been established as valid and reliable in a range of clinical and research applications, although there is also evidence of increased error and decreased sensitivity when used some subject groups. Decisions concerned with the choice of scoring interval, experimental design, and statistical analysis for VAS have in some instances been based on convention, assumption and convenience, highlighting the need for more comprehensive assessment of individual scales if this versatile and sensitive measurement technique is to be used to full advantage.
The diary of a madman, seventeenth-century style: Goodwin Wharton, MP and communer with the fairy world
Authors: Porter Roy
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Goodwin Wharton (1653–1704) was a nobleman's son and a Whig MP who played no small part in English public life. His manuscript journal shows, however, that he also lived a bizarre secret life of the mind of a kind which, in later generations, would have led to his confinement as suffering from mental illness. Above all, through the offices of his medium and lover, Mary Parish, he entered into elaborate relations both with the fairy world and with God and His Angels. This paper examines our records of Wharton's consciousness
Does maintenance lithium therapy prevent recurrences of mania under ordinary clinical conditions?
Authors: Dickson W. E. , Kendell R. E.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Mental-hospital admission rates in Edinburgh for mania, schizophrenia and psychotic depression were studied from 1970 to 1981, a 12-year period during which long-term lithium therapy was increasingly employed in affective illnesses. If this treatment had been effective admission and readmission rates for mania, and perhaps also for depression, should have fallen progressively. In fact, they rose steadily, while the admission rate for schizophrenia fell. These changes could not easily be attributed to changing diagnostic criteria, to the admission of milder affective illnesses, or to poor and deteriorating lithium surveillance. Their explanation is uncertain, but they cast some doubt on the efficacy of lithium prophylaxis in ordinary clinical practice.
Endocrine and behavioural responses to methylphenidate in depression
Authors: Joyce Peter R. , Donald Richard A. , Nicholls M. Gary , Livesey John H. , Abbott Robyn M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Twenty patients with a major depressive disorder and 20 control subjects were subjected to a 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) and a challenge with intravenous (IV) methylphenidate (MP)(0·3 mg/kg). None of the controls, but 9 depressives, were DST non-suppressors. Among the depressives there were correlations between DST-cortisol and baseline (4 p.m.) levels of cortisol, growth hormone, prolactin and adrenaline. Compared with the controls the depressives had a decreased cortisol response and an enhanced adrenaline response to the MP challenge. The decreased cortisol response was not related to either DST-cortisol or baseline cortisol, but was correlated with the mood response to MP.
Psychological and physical morbidity in the aftermath of a cyclone
Authors: Fairley M. , Langeluddecke Pauline , Tennant Christopher
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A Fijian community affected by a cyclone was compared with an unaffected but similar community. Two months after the cyclone both psychological and physical morbidity was 2–3 times greater in the affected community than in controls. By the third month morbidity had resolved to levels similar to those in the unaffected population. Brief, catastrophic stress without loss of life appears to provoke psychological and physical morbidity of relatively brief duration.
Mental health care in Southern Italy: application of case–control methodology for the evaluation of the impact of the 1978 psychiatric reform
Authors: Bollini Paola , Muscettola Giovanni , Piazza Antonella , Puca Maurizio , Tognoni Gianni
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A survey to analyse patients' characteristics and the care delivered to them was conducted in several psychiatric facilities, covering the whole range of care offered in the public sector in two regions of Southern Italy. A case–control method of analysis was chosen, and the relative risk estimates (RR), together with their 95% confidence intervals (CI), of being in custodial facilities were computed, comparing patients treated in custodial institutions (‘cases’) with those in community-based services (‘controls’) in respect of social and clinical vairables. Factors more stongly associated with custodial treatment were: illiteracy (RR = 2·4), unmarried status (RR =2·4), a history of prolonged illness (RR = 7·6), organic diagnosis (RR = 2·6), previous custodial treatment (RR = 3·9), and expected poor social functioning (RR =2·4). The suitability and advantages of the case–control method of analysis in the field of psychiatric care evaluation are discussed.
Platelet monoamine oxidase activity and life stress as predictors of psychopathology and coping in a community sample
Authors: Irving Joanne Boyd , Coursey Robert D. , Buchsbaum Monte S. , Murphy Dennis L.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The present study, using a diathesis-stress model, attempted to confirm prior findings with platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and stress in a middle-aged, non-clinic population. One hundred and seventy-eight adult males from a statewide community club were tested for platelet MAO activity and stressful life events and were also given a variety of psychological measures of both psychopathology and psychosocial coping. The data were examined both for correlations across the total sample and for a comparison of high-risk groups (top and bottom 15% of MAO activity) with a middle MAO group. Low platelet MAO activity was related to a higher incidence of contact with mental health professionals, and more frequent use of alcohol and cigarette smoking. High MAO activity was related to higher levels of anxiety and somatization. High levels of stress were related to increased psychosocial problems reported for female and family members, higher scores on two schizophrenia-related MMPI scales (schizophrenia and paranoia subscales), but fewer idiosyncratic associations, elevated hypomanic, depression, and anxiety scores, increased alcohol use, and increased use of prescribed antianxiety and sedative medication. Neither MAO nor stress were related to current levels of psychosocial coping. Moreover, no interaction effects were uncovered for MAO activity and stress combined.
The struggle to be thin: a survey of anorexic and bulimic symptoms in a non-referred adolescent population
Authors: Whitaker Agnes , Davies Mark , Shaffer David , Johnson Jim , Abrams Sari , Walsh B. Timothy , Kalikow Kevin
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Ninety-one per cent of a county-wide high school population (N= 5596) completed the Eating Symptoms Inventory (ESI) and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). Being female, older and heavier are far more strongly associated with anorexic and bulimic symptoms than is social class. ESI approximations of the DSM-III criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia suggest that while both conditions are rare (less than 1%), bulimia is the more prevalent disorder.
Recent friendships in anxious and depressed school age children
Authors: Goodyer I. M. , Wright C. , Altham P. M. E.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A consecutive series of school age children (7 to 16 years) with emotional disorders (N = 100) were compared with a series of community controls (N = 100) matched for age, sex and social class for the quality of their friendships. A semi-structured interview was developed to measure the quality of friendship for this purpose. Significantly more (48%) children with emotional disorder were likely to be rated as experiencing moderate to poor friendships in the 12 months prior to the onset of symptoms than were controls (16%) in the 12 months prior to interview. Prepubertal children with moderate to poor friendship patterns were classified as either predominantly anxious or depressed. Postpubertal children with moderate to poor friendships patterns were, in contrast, predominantly anxious. These findings suggest that puberty denotes a point of change for the impact of friendship deficits on the psychopathology of emotional disorder. There were no sex differences in the clinical classification of children with moderate or poor friendship patterns.
Locus of control in women with eating pathology
Authors: King Michael
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Locus of control scales have been used to measure ‘effectiveness’ or personal control in patients with eating disorders. A locus of control of behaviour scale was used in a community sample of women with a spectrum of eating pathology from bulimia nervosa to chronic dieting as well as in a comparison group of non-dieters. This scale appeared to add nothing over and above general measures of psychopathology as assessed by the Clinical Interview Schedule and the Symptom Rating Test, or more specific measures such as the Eating Attitudes Test.
Bulimia nervosa in the male: a report of nine cases
Authors: Robinson P. H. , Holden N. L.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Nine male patients with bulimia nervosa, accounting for one in 24 bulimic patients attending a clinic for eating disorders, are described. Symptomatology and demographic characteristics were similar in males and females. A history of either anorexia nervosa or obesity was always present, and a chronic course was seen in 6 patients. Five of the men showed atypical sexuality.
Early manifestations and first-contact incidence of schizophrenia in different cultures: A preliminary report on the initial evaluation phase of the WHO Collaborative Study on Determinants of Outcome of Severe Mental Disorders
Authors: Sartorius N. , Jablensky A. , Korten A. , Ernberg G. , Anker M. , Cooper J. E. , Day R.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a context of a WHO collaborative study, 12 research centres in 10 countries monitored geographically defined populations over 2 years to identify individuals making a first-in-lifetime contact with any type of ‘helping agency’ because of symptoms of psychotic illness. A total of 1379 persons who met specified inclusion criteria for schizophrenia and other related non-affective disorders were examined extensively, using standardized instruments, on entry into the study and on two consecutive follow-ups at annual intervals. Patients in different cultures, meeting the ICD and CATEGO criteria for schizophrenia, were remarkably similar in their symptom profiles and 49% of them presented the central schizophrenic conditions as defined by CATEGO class S+. However, the 2-year pattern of course was considerably more favourable in patients in developing countries compared with patients in developed countries, and the difference could not be fully explained by the higher frequency of acute onsets among the former. Age- and sex-specific incidence rates and estimates of disease expectancy were determined for a ‘broad’ diagnostic group of schizophrenic illness and for CATEGO S+ cases. While the former showed significant differences among the centres, the differences in the rates for S+ cases were non-significant or marginal. The results provide strong support for the notion that schizophrenic illnesses occur with comparable frequency in different populations and support earlier findings that the prognosis is better in less industrialized societies.
Experiences of alien control in schizophrenia reflect a disorder in the central monitoring of action
Authors: Frith Christopher D. , Done D. John
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Twenty-three acute psychotic patients who were drug free at the time of testing performed a motor task designed to elicit many errors. Normal subjects and many of the psychotic patients were able to correct these errors in the absence of visual feedback. The ability to make such corrections depends on the subject knowing what response he has just made. Patients with experiences of alien control of their thoughts and actions who formed a subgroup of those classified as schizophrenic, were significantly less likely to make error corrections in the absence of visual feedback. This result is consistent with our previous suggestion (Frith, 1987) that these symptoms are a consequence of problems with the central monitoring of responses.
A comparison of practices, attitudes and interactions in two established units for people with a psychiatric disability
Authors: Allen C. I. , Gillespie C. R. , Hall J. N.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This study evaluates and compares aspects of residential care in a community hostel setting and a hospital setting for people with a psychiatric disability. The clients were assessed to establish their level of general functioning, the comparison indicating there was no significant difference between the two groups on the measure used. A previously published protocol was used as a method of comparing the units. The findings indicated that the hospital unit was more individually orientated both in practices and staff attitudes, and had staff who were more optimistic about clients' potential accomplishments. No differences were found between perceived involvement of staff in decision making, or staff–resident interactions.

These findings have implications for the ‘Care in the Community’ movement, as they indicate that the nature of a service is as important as its location. They suggest that the relocation of services to the community in itself will not automatically overcome some of the difficulties associated with institutional care.
An analysis of the re-test artefact in longitudinal studies of psychiatric symptoms and personality
Authors: Jorm A. F. , Duncan-Jones P. , Scott R.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

When general population samples are assessed on two occasions with psychiatric symptom or personality measures, a mean change in scores towards less psychopathology is often observed. This re-test artefact is a potential threat to the validity of longitudinal studies. Data from a longitudinal general population study were analysed to discover under what circumstances the re-test artefact occurs. It was found that the artefact is unrelated to the time lag between occasions, being equally strong at intervals ranging from 4 to 34 weeks. However, the artefact did not occur for all measures, but was confined to those assessing negative self-characteristics and administered orally by an interviewer. These findings are consistent with both the ‘mechanical responding’ and ‘social desirability’ hypotheses of the re-test artefact.
Psychiatric morbidity in an Italian general practice
Authors: Bellantuono Cesario , Fiorio Roberto , Williams Paul , Cortina Patrizia
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A two-stage screening strategy was applied in a single-handed general practice in northern Italy. The study was designed so that all the second-stage psychiatric interviews were conducted during the first phase of the study (group A patients), while self-report questionnaire (GHQ) and GP assessments only were collected during the second phase (group B patients).

The estimated true case rate of psychiatric disorder (36%) did not differ between the two phases of the study, but there were marked differences in the general practitioner's diagnostic behaviour. During the first phase (when psychiatric interviews were being conducted in the practice), her behaviour was heavily biased towards diagnosing psychiatric disorder; 61% of the patients were regarded by her as psychiatric cases and the hidden psychiatric morbidity rate was only 9%. During the second phase of the study (no psychiatric interviews in the practice), only 37% of the patients were regarded as psychiatric cases by the GP, and the hidden morbidity rate was 59%.

The results are interpreted as demonstrating that the presence of a psychiatrist conducting a two-stage screening survey in the practice had a profound effect on the diagnostic threshold. They also provide support for the use of the GHQ as a case-finding instrument in general practice.
Obstetric complications in schizophrenia and the validity of maternal recall
Authors: O'Callaghan Eadbhard , Larkin Conall , Waddington John L.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The significance of the excess of obstetric complications which appears to characterize the histories of schizophrenic patients is critically dependent on the validity of the source of obstetric information, especially when this is obtained by maternal recall. Twenty-one biological mothers of 17 schizophrenic and four other patients were interviewed for their recollections of individual events characterizing the pregnancy and delivery relating to each patient. These were then compared with those events documented in maternity hospital records. Only in two of the 21 instances (9·5%) were inconsistencies of detail apparent which would have affected the designation of the relevant patient as having, or as not having, experienced major obstetric complication(s). It is concluded that maternal recall can be a surprisingly accurate source of obstetric information in relation to research on schizophrenia.
Gender, coping and psychosomatic symptoms
Authors: Vingerhoets Ad J. J. M. , Van Heck Guus L.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

In this study gender differences in coping were explored, using the Ways of Coping Checklist (WCC; Folkman & Lazarus, 1980). In addition, the focus was on sex differences in the predictive value of coping strategies in relation to psychosomatic symptoms. Males preferred problem-focused coping strategies, planned and rational actions, positive thinking, personal growth and humour, day-dreaming and fantasies. Women preferred emotion-focused coping solutions, self-blame, expression of emotions/seeking of social support, and wishful thinking/emotionality. In spite of the gender differences the results of multiple regression analyses indicated congruous relationships between coping and complaints for both sexes. Stressors and coping factors contributed in much the same way to the explained variance of symptoms and the results were generally similar for males and females. The present data also emphasize the bidirectionality of the coping–symptoms link. This holds especially for self-blame, day-dreaming and fantasizing, and wishful thinking/emotionality. In contrast, distancing was found to be associated with self-reported psychosocial load. Future prospective studies should explicitly pay attention to this bidirectional relationship.
The identification of psychiatric disorders in children who fail to attend school: a cluster analysis of a non-clinical population
Authors: Bools Christopher , Foster Janet , Brown Imogen , Berg Ian
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Interviews were conducted with parents of 100 children taken to a ‘School attendance committee’, because of persistent failture to attend School. Clinical assessmen t of the attendance problem was carried out so that children were categorized as ‘School refusers’ (N = 24), ‘truants’ (N =53), ‘both refusers and truants’ (N =9), or as ‘neither’ (N =14). Any ICD-9 psychiatirc disorder was separately identified. Cluster analysis of information collected in a standard way indicated that there was a group of children with the features of ‘School refusal’ who often had genralized neurotic disorders as well and who were mostly girls, another group with the feature of ‘truancy’ all of whom had conduct disorders who were mainly boys, and a third cluster of childrsen who were usually ‘truants’ but less often psychiatrically disturbed. The study provided evidence for the existence of School refusal with and without generalized neurotic disturbance in a non-clinical population.
Psychoactive drug effect on behavioural changes induced by prolonged socio-environmental deprivation in rats
Authors: Valzelli L. , Bernasconi S.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Several so-called ‘non-specific’ or ‘non-drug’ factors are known to interfere with the response to psychotropic drug administration. Animal emotionality has been reported to change the outcome of psychoactive drug administration, so that the response to a stimulant or depressant drug may considerably change according to the baseline state of activity of the central nervous system. Prolonged socio-environmental deprivation or isolation has been shown to produce in rats three different types of abnormal behaviour which have been tentatively defined as ‘friendly’, ‘indifferent’ and ‘muricide’. Such unusual changes in rat behaviour are assumed to reflect a series of different emotional changes. The present experiments show that psychoactive drugs can exert a different effect in relation to the different kinds of animal behaviour used in the experiments. The investigation of the properties of psychoactive compounds, as performed in experimental animals showing behavioural alterations, is then suggested as being more fruitful in providing much information closer to the clinical results than that achieved with the experiments performed in normal laboratory animals.
Time of day chosen for suicide
Authors: Barraclough B. M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

An unsuccessful attempt to discover the variation in the time of day chosen for the suicide of 100 consecutive cases is described. The reasons for the failure are discussed.
Religious stigmatization: an historical and psychophysiological enquiry
Authors: Whitlock F. A. , Hynes J. V.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The historical accounts of religious stigmatization occurring during the past 750 years have been surveyed, with more detailed attention being given to late nineteenth- and twentieth-century medical investigations of some well-known cases. A case showing some features of religious stigmatization is described. The possible relationship of the phenomena of religious stigmatization to disease and psychophysiological processes in the subject is examined.
Contribution of life events to causation of psychiatric illness
Authors: Paykel E. S.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

This paper discusses the magnitude of the effect of life events in the causation of psychiatric illness. It is argued that an established epidemiological concept, relative risk, provides a useful measure of association which can be approximately adapted for retrospective controlled studies. Examination of studies employing general population controls consistently indicates effects of some importance, with risks of illness increased by factors of between 2 and 7 in the 6 months after an event. Risks are greater for the more stressful types of events, greater for depression and neuroses than schizophrenia, and even greater for suicide attempts. However, similar events occur commonly and a large proportion of event occurrences are not followed by illness. Events must interact with a wide variety of background factors, and the appropriate model is one of multifactorial causation.