bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blood serotonin, serum melatonin and light therapy in healthy subjects and in patients with nonseasonal depression
Authors: Rao M. L. , Müller‐Oerlinghausen B. , Mackert A. , Strebel B. , Stieglitz R.‐D. , Volz H.‐P.
Published: August 2007

The 24‐h rhythms of blood serotonin and serum melatonin were determined in 39 unmediated inpatients with nonseasonal affective disorder and in 14 healthy men and women after 7 days of morning bright‐light (2500 lx) or dim‐light (50 lx) treatment. Bright‐light treatment led to a more than 50% decrease in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) score in 4/19 patients and dim light in 1/17 patients. After light treatment the mesor (the daily mean estimated by cosinor analysis) of patients’ and subjects’ melatonin levels did not change significantly, nor was there a correlation between phase change and decrease in HRSD score. We observed after bright‐ and dim‐light treatment a consistent increase in blood serotonin in patients and healthy subjects, which differed significantly between healthy subjects and patients. These findings suggest the involvement of serotonergic mechanisms following light therapy.
A controlled multicenter clinical study of citalopram and placebo in elderly depressed patients with and without concomitant dementia
Authors: Nyth A. L. , Gottfries C. G. , Lyby K. , Smedegaard‐Andersen L. , Gylding‐Sabroe J. , Kristensen M. , Refsum H.‐E. , Öfsti E. , Eriksson S. , Syversen S.
Published: August 2007

A total of 149 patients in 7 centers in Denmark, Norway and Sweden entered a 6‐week double‐blind trial intended to assess the antidepressant effect and safety of citalopram vs placebo in depressed elderly patients (65 years of age or older) who might also suffer from somatic disorders and/or senile dementia. Results of ratings on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Montgomery‐Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Impression Scale provided consistent evidence that the citalopram‐treated patients improved more than the placebo‐treated patients. Results of ratings on the Gottfries‐Bråne‐Steen dementia rating scale indicated that both cognitive and emotional functioning improved significantly more in the citalopram‐treated subgroup of patients with dementia than in the placebo‐treated subgroup.
Trends in suicide rates among military conscripts
Authors: Schroderus M. , Lönnqvist J. K. , Aro H. M.
Published: August 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyse the trends in suicide rates among conscripts in Finland and to compare them with suicide rates in men of the same age in the general population. The suicide rates among conscripts slightly increased from the mid‐1960s until the mid‐1970s, but this rise was less marked than among young men in the population as a whole. In the 1970s and 1980s, the suicide mortality among conscripts was half of that among civilian men of the same age in the population. The implications for suicide prevention are discussed.
Folate, vitamin B12 and cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Levitt A. J. , Karlinsky H.
Published: August 2007

This study examines the relationship between folate, vitamin B12 and severity of cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) as compared with other disorders associated with cognitive impairment. The patients were 97 consecutive referrals to an AD clinic. Forty patients had either possible or probable AD. 31 had other dementias (OD) and 26 had mild cognitive impairment (cognitively impaired, not demented; CIND). Patients had blood drawn for serum, red cell folate and B12, as well as other biochemical indicators of nutrition, within 24 h of the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). In the AD group, only B12 was significantly correlated with MMSE. Using regression analysis, B12 contributed significantly to variance in MMSE. There was no correlation between MMSE and serum, red cell folate or B12 in the OD or CIND group and no significant correlation between MMSE and other nutritional indices in any group. These findings suggest the possibility of a specific relationship between B12 levels and severity of cognitive impairment in patients with AD.
Season of birth of schizophrenics in Mississippi, USA
Authors: Rodrigo G. , Lusiardo M. , Briggs G. , Ulmer A.
Published: August 2007

Prior reviews indicate that schizophrenics tend to be born in the winter, relative to non‐psychiatric controls. This conclusion has been criticized, however, as the association between birth seasonality and schizophrenia may be the result of a statistical artifact, the age‐incidence effect. To examine this possibility, we studied the birth seasonality of 2892 schizophrenics, controlling for the age‐incidence effect. Both before and after instituting these controls, we found excesses for the months of December and March. We conclude that the age‐incidence hypothesis does not provide any general explanation of the season‐of‐birth effect in schizophrenia.
Alzheimer's disease in adults with Down's syndrome: the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow equivalents and dementia
Authors: Deb S. , Silva P. N. de , Gemmell H. G. , Besson J. A. O. , Smith F. W. , Ebmeier K. P.
Published: August 2007

Twenty adult patients suffering from Down's syndrome (DS) were recruited from hospitals and the community, together with 14 age‐ and sex‐matched controls of normal intelligence. Dementia was diagnosed in patients using a structured psychiatric and physical examination as well as a carer interview and case notes. All patients and controls were imaged using single photon emission computerized tomography with 99mTc‐exametazime. Four patients were clinically demented and all of them showed regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes commonly found in patients with Alzheimer's disease, namely bilateral temporo‐parietal deficits. These changes were also observed in about half of the patients without clinical evidence of dementia, but in none of the healthy controls. Across the group of patients, temporo‐parietal rCBF deficits were associated with evidence of deterioration, but not with advancing age.
Debrisoquine oxidation phenotype and neuroleptic‐induced dystonic reactions
Authors: Spina E. , Sturiale V. , Valvo S. , Ancione M. , Rosa A. E. Di , Meduri M. , Caputi A. P.
Published: August 2007

To evaluate the role of defective drug oxidation as a predisposing factor for neuroleptic‐induced dystonic reactions, 26 patients who developed the reaction and 53 with no history of dystonia were phenotyped by the debrisoquine hydroxylation test. The percentage of poor debrisoquine metabolizers was similar in patients with dystonic reactions (11.5%) and in the control group (9.4%). These results suggest that there is no association between the individual's drug oxidative status and the occurrence of neuroleptic‐induced dystonia.
Depot preparations of disulfiram: experimental and clinical results
Authors: Johnsen J. , Mørland J.
Published: August 2007

Patient compliance with disulfiram is a troublesome clinical problem. Several strategies have been proposed as a solution to the problem, including subcutaneous implantation of disulfiram. However, well controlled studies of alcoholics and healthy volunteers have failed to discover a pharmacological effect of implanted disulfiram. A major reason for this failure appears to be poor absorption from an inadequate dose. Assessment of new sustained release formulation of depot disulfiram has been found to provoke a mild disulfiram‐ethanol reaction (DER). Only a more severe DER would be expected to deter further drinking. If problems with absorption and appropriate dosing of disulfiram can be resolved or a depot preparation of the active metabolite of disulfiram can be prepared, implants might find continued clinical use.
Long‐term Antabuse treatment: tolerance and reasons for withdrawal
Authors: Berup C. , Kaiser A. , Jensen E.
Published: August 2007

We studied 210 alcoholics, who were re‐admitted to a disulfiram treatment programme after having voluntarily discontinued disulfiram therapy, primarily to ascertain whether illness, hospitalization, or serious adverse effects were the cause of the withdrawal. A simple 9‐ item questionnaire was used. About 70 % of the patients gave either “a wish to drink again” or “no need for further treatment” as the reason. Withdrawal in the remaining patients was in no case related to adverse effects of disulfiram.

The low incidence of adverse effects was confirmed in another group comprising 93 patients treated under supervision with disulfiram 600–800 mg twice a week for at least a year (i. e. total dose at least 70 g disulfiram). They were monitored by standard laboratory blood and urine tests. There were no clinically significant changes in the measures used. Indeed, many of the patients improved during the year of abstinence. These two studies add weight to the evidence that disulfiram is not a drug with a high incidence of adverse effects.
Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in mentally disordered violent offenders
Authors: Belfrage H. , Lidberg L. , Oreland L.
Published: August 2007

The activity of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in blood platelets among criminals undergoing forensic psychiatric examinations was studied. As compulsiveness, disturbed perceptions of reality, etc. are states not known to be related to MAO and yet possibly cause aggressiveness and violence among psychotic patients, we divided the patients into 2 groups, psychotic and nonpsychotic offenders. There was lower MAO activity among violent offenders than among nonviolent offenders. The difference between the violent and nonviolent offenders became greater when the subjects with a history of psychosis were removed. Furthermore, in the group of psychotic offenders, there was no statistical difference between violent and nonviolent individuals in this regard.
Suicide related to human immunodeficiency virus infection in Stockholm
Authors: Rajs J. , Fugelstad A.
Published: August 2007

During a 5‐year period (July 1, 1985 to June 30, 1990), a systematic investigation of medicolegal autopsy cases with regard to the occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was carried out at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden. Cases where a positive result was obtained from enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting were counted as HIV‐positive (85 instances among 16,938 deaths, or 0.50%). Of these deaths, 21 (25%) were suicides. The number and proportion of suicides among HIV‐positive homo‐ and bisexual males increased during the study period but remained unchanged for infected intravenous drug addicts. This increase of suicides among homo‐ and bisexual males could be related to the duration of the infection and to the manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) symptoms. Only 1 of the 21 suicides occurred in a hospital; 17 were committed in the homes of the deceased and 3 outdoors. Medicinal drug overdosage was the dominant choice of suicide method. Six of 12 homo‐ and bisexual males who committed suicide were of non‐Swedish origin, i.e. immigrants, likely to have a less stable social network and thereby probably receiving less psychosocial support than the native population.
Natural autoantibodies in schizophrenia
Authors: Galinowski A. , Barbouche R. , Truffinet P. , Louzir H. , Poirier M. F. , Bouvet O. , Loo H. , Avrameas S.
Published: August 2007

Autoantibodies reacting with cell constituents other than antinuclear antibodies have seldom been reported in the literature on schizophrenia. Serum of 41 DSM‐III‐R schizophrenic patients was examined for the presence of various autoantibodies and compared with that of healthy volunteers (n= 10) and hospitalized controls. Titers of IgG, IgA and IgM autoantibodies directed against actin, tubulin, myosin, DNA, thyroglobulin, elastin, albumin, DNA and trinitrophenyl groups were determined using enzyme immunoassay. IgG and IgA titers were significantly decreased in schizophrenic patients. These results contrast with those obtained with various other autoimmune and nonautoimmune diseases in which titers are either unchanged or increased. A significant increase of various autoantibody levels was observed in the paranoid subgroup of schizophrenics compared with the disorganized subgroup. These autoantibodies possess characteristics similar to those of natural autoantibodies, which seem to play several biological roles.
The round table in a community‐based outpatient service
Authors: Hoffmann H.
Published: August 2007

The community‐based outpatient service of Berne has used the round table for 8 years. It has become a strong element of the care of long‐term outpatients. The aim of the present study is to examine how the round table is used and estimated by the patients: whether it only fulfils the function of a psychosocial contact facility to reduce social isolation or whether it has other helpful functions of social relationship. Further, we were interested to find out which of the therapeutic factors in group therapy are of importance. Four major factors could be elaborated by factor analysis: the functions and the importance of the caretakers at the round table, the acceptance and social integration of the patients and psychotherapeutic factors such as self‐disclosure and vicarious learning. The round table is not only a social contact facility but also a new form of an informal, open, sociotherapeutic group.
Abnormal perception of body weight is not solely observed in pubertal girls: incorrect body image in children and its relationship to body weight
Authors: Ohtahara H. , Ohzeki T. , Hanaki K. , Motozumi H. , Shiraki K.
Published: August 2007

Perceived actual body weight and perceived ideal weight were assessed in 255 Japanese children and adolescents (130 boys, 125 girls) aged 6 years through 18 years using the drawing test to clarify whether they wanted to be thinner or to gain weight. More than half (68%) of the girls attending high school and 41% of the elementary school girls perceived their ideal weight to be less than the standard. The mean difference between the perceived actual weight and the ideal weight was positive in the high school girls of normal weight as well as in the overweight girls, meaning that even the normal‐weight girls wanted to lose weight. The difference was also slightly positive in the underweight girls. The difference in the high school boys was negative, demonstrating that they wished to gain weight. It is suggested that girls want to lose weight even before adolescence; this tendency becomes more prominent in the high school period and is mostly unrelated to their own weight.
A prevalence survey of mental disorders among children in a rural Malaysian village
Authors: Kasmini K. , Kyaw O. , Krishnaswamy S. , Ramli H. , Hassan S.
Published: August 2007

This is the first epidemiological survey of mental disorders among children in a Malaysian village. The WHO Research Questionnaire for Children (RQC) was used for initial screening followed by a semistructured interview, the Follow‐up Interview for Children (FIC) at its second stage. Diagnosis was obtained by using Rutter's multi‐axial classification. The prevalence rates obtained for the diagnostic categories were described in 3 age groups, in accordance with the age of attending school in Malaysia. Of 507 children screened aged 1–15, 6.1% were classified as having a mental disorder.
Prevalence of tardive dyskinesia in samples of elderly people in Hong Kong
Authors: Chiu H.F.K. , Wing Y.K. , Kwong P.K. , Leung C.M. , Lam L.C.W.
Published: August 2007

The prevalence of dyskinesia was studied in 4 samples of elderly Chinese people in Hong Kong – a psychogeriatric clinic, a mental hospital, a geriatric day hospital and a senior citizen centre. Research Diagnostic Criteria were used to identify cases of tardive dyskinesia. The overall prevalence of spontaneous dyskinesia was 2.4% and tardive dyskinesia was 25.9%. The rate of spontaneous dyskinesia differs across the study samples and is related to nervous system conditions associated with increased age. On the other hand, the rate of dyskinesia associated with antidepressants may not be significantly different from that of spontaneous dyskinesia.
Cannabis and schizophrenia: a longitudinal study of cases treated in Stockholm County
Authors: Allebeck P. , Adamsson C. , Engström A.
Published: August 2007

By means of the Stockholm County inpatient care register we identified all cases treated with a diagnosis of cannabis dependence and psychosis, not necessarily at the same occasion, during 1971–1983. By scrutinizing medical records, we evaluated the diagnosis according to DSM‐III‐R and we assessed the history of substance abuse as well as the psychiatric history and clinical course. We identified 229 cases during the follow‐up; 112 of these cases (49%) fulfilled the DSM‐III‐R criteria for schizophrenia. The majority of the schizophrenics had prominent positive symptoms and a sudden onset of disease, and 69% of the cases had a record of heavy cannabis abuse at least 1 year before onset of psychotic symptoms. The high number of verified DSM‐III‐R cases of schizophrenia in this cohort and the temporal relation between cannabis abuse and schizophrenia further support the hypothesis that cannabis abuse may be a risk factor for schizophrenia. We confirmed previous observations that cannabis‐associated schizophrenia often has a sudden onset and prominent positive symptoms.
Cardiovascular response and seizure duration as determined by electroencephalography during unilateral electroconvulsive therapy
Authors: Bergsholm P. , Bleie H. , Gran L. , D'Elia G.
Published: August 2007

The effect of pulse unilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on heart rate, blood pressure and the product of heart rate and systolic blood pressure, an index of myocardial oxygen consumption, was studied during 48 ECT sessions in 7 patients with major depression. Intraindividually, hyperventilation‐induced hypocapnia compared with normocapnia markedly augmented the ECT‐induced increase in heart rate (47%vs 28%) and the product of heart rate and systolic blood pressure (82%vs 60%). Over all ECT seizures, the maximum and increase in heart rate and the product of heart rate and systolic blood pressure were significantly correlated with seizure duration as determined by electroencephalography. However, significant correlations were only present for the seizures during hypocapnia and not during normocapnia. Combining measures of magnitude and length of ECT‐induced tachycardia to motor responses may increase the potential for clinical seizure evaluation.
The consequences of an open referral system to a community mental health service
Authors: Marriott S. , Malone S. , Onyett S. , Tyrer P.
Published: August 2007

The first 590 patients referred to a community mental health service (the Early Intervention Service) in an inner‐city district were separated into groups based on their referral source. The service has an open referral system allowing any agency (including patients) to contact the service by letter or by telephone, and priority is given to patients with serious mental illness. The results of open referral showed that the number of referrals was adequate for the service to process, the proportion of inappropriate referrals was similar in all referral agencies, and milder cases of mental illness were referred more often from doctors than from other agencies. It is concluded that an open referral system is likely to be more sensitive to need and has some advantage over closed referral arrangements in inner‐city areas.
Vietnamese boat refugees: the influence of war and flight traumatization on mental health on arrival in the country of resettlement
Authors: Hauff E. , Vaglum P.
Published: August 2007

A consecutive cohort of 145 adult Vietnamese refugees were personally interviewed and completed the Symptom Checklist 90 R self‐rating scale on arrival in Norway. Sixty‐two percent had witnessed bombing, fires and shooting, 48% had witnessed other people being wounded or killed and 36% had been involved in life‐threatening situations or had been wounded in the war. Nearly all war trauma variables but none of the escape or refugee camp variables were significantly related to mental health 7 years after the end of the war. War trauma was significantly associated with mental health, also when age, gender and previous mental problems were controlled for. These results and our clinical experience indicate that clinicians treating refugees should address such traumatic experiences specifically.
Mianserin and chronic pain: a double‐blind placebo‐controlled process and outcome study
Authors: Onghena P. , De Cuyper H. , Van Houdenhove B. , Verstraeten D.
Published: August 2007

There is evidence that antidepressants may have an analgesic effect in chronic pain. To replicate this effect and to throw light on the processes involved, a 12‐week cross‐over double‐blind trial of mianserin versus placebo was carried out in 4 diagnostic groups: A) depressive patients without pain complaints (n= 8), B) depressive patients with chronic organic pain (n= 8), C) patients with somatoform pain disorder and vital signs of depression (n= 11) and D) patients with chronic organic pain without depression (n= 8). Although a mianserin‐induced antidepressant effect in group A was evident, no significant pain reduction was accomplished in any group. The reasons for this failure to replicate the antidepressant‐induced analgesic effect are discussed.
The profile of C‐reactive proteins in functional psychotic states in a cohort in Nigeria
Authors: Ohaeri J. U. , Hedo C. C. , Lagundoye O. O.
Published: August 2007

Based on the findings of previous work involving the measurement of 8 acute‐phase proteins in 8 subjects receiving electroconvulsive therapy, we assayed the levels of C‐reactive proteins (CRP) in 40 functional psychotic subjects, 37 of whom were consecutive admissions at the psychiatric ward. From 16 subjects, a second sample of blood for assay of CRP was collected 6 weeks after discharge from hospital, when the patients were no longer experiencing psychotic symptoms. The patients and controls were screened for tissue injury, inflammatory conditions and other diseases. We found that 14 (35%) of the psychiatric patients and only one (2%) of 50 normal control subjects had detectable levels of CRP. At follow‐up, none of the 7 patients in whom CRP had been earlier detectable had measurable levels of CRP in the non‐psychotic state. The presence of CRP was not related to biochemical indexes of nutritional status (total proteins and albumin), nor did clinical variables such as type of psychosis, pacing in acutely disturbed patients, use of intramuscular injections or diet and drugs distinguish the two groups of patients. It is suggested that the presence of CRP in the psychotic state is probably a state‐dependent expression of nonspecific humoral immune alteration in subjects in whom more specific tests could reveal some immune alteration.
Intoxication in manic patients following chaotic self‐administration of lithium
Authors: Thiel A. , Nau R. , Lehmann K. , Willers T.
Published: August 2007

Intoxication is a serious complication of lithium therapy. Suicides attempted by depressive patients or excessive serum levels due to reduced renal elimination are typical causes of these intoxications. So far, lithium intoxications following excessive intake by patients with manic disorders have not been reported. We present 4 case histories of manic patients in whom the diagnosis of lithium intoxication was delayed, even though their affective disorders and medication were known. Lithium should be determined immediately on a routine basis in all patients who, on the basis of their history, are known to receive or who, considering the underlying mental illness, possibly receive lithium therapy.
Reliability of a standardized and expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale: a replication study
Authors: Hafkenscheid A.
Published: August 2007

This study aimed to determine the replicability of the interrater reliability coefficients obtained with a standardized and expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS‐E) in a 1991 psychometric evaluation. Furthermore, intrarater reliability was assessed. At item level, interrater concordance turned out to be satisfactory for most of the BPRS‐E items. However, only a few of the items reached acceptable chance‐corrected coefficients. In contrast to the previous study, the anxiety‐depression subscale met the standard of acceptable interrater reliability in the present study. As in the 1991 study, the 10‐item psychotic disintegration scale as well as BPRS‐18 global scores met (or closely approximated) this standard. The 6 additional items of BPRS‐E did not contribute to the scale's reliability. Joining the samples of the 1991 and replication studies (to cover the range of symptoms’ severity and heterogeneity more fully) did not improve interrater reliability. Intrarater reliability coefficients were globally comparable to interrater reliability coefficients. In all, the results of this replication study suggest that only the anxiety‐depression subscale, the 10‐item psychotic disintegration scale and the BPRS‐18 global scale can be used reliably in unselected groups of psychiatric inpatients in acute distress.
Comparison of four diagnostic systems for the diagnosis of somatization disorder
Authors: Tómasson K. , Kent D. , Coryell W.
Published: August 2007

This article compares the Feighner criteria, the DSM‐III criteria for somatization disorder and a modified version of the proposed ICD‐10 criteria. Working with a data set collected from the charts of 250 patients considered likely to have unexplained somatic symptoms, the kappa statistic and percentage agreement was calculated. The kappa between the DSM‐III and DSM‐III‐R criteria is 0.93. Between the modified ICD‐10 and DSM‐III it was 0.71, but between Feighner and the modified ICD‐10 it was 0.44. However, the different criteria identify the same patient population based on mental co‐morbidity and demographics. The authors suggest that the modified version of the proposed ICD‐10 should be investigated further, as it can use data sets previously collected for assessments of somatization disorder.
Genes and environment in mental illness
Authors: Kringlen E.
Published: August 2007

Methodological questions in heredity‐environment studies are discussed with special emphasis on schizophrenia and severe affective disorder. Mental disorder is a matter of behavioral and experimental manifestations, caused by complex interactions of genes and environment operating over a lifespan. It is therefore necessary to combine different research strategies in order to advance this field. However, progress in research is hampered by problems in classification and definition of phenotype. Accordingly, family, adoption and twin studies have a lot to contribute before molecular genetic research might be carried out.
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Psychiatric Findings Before and After Shunt Operation Classified in a New Diagnostic System for Organic Psychiatry
Authors: Lindqvist G. , Andersson H. , Bilting M. , Blomstrand C. , Malmgren H. , Wikkelso C.
Published: August 2007

23 patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) underwent psychiatric examinations prior to and 80 days to 10 months after a ventriculo‐peritoneal shunt operation. A global evaluation of the effect of the operation on the patients' mental symptoms indicated appreciable improvement in 10 cases and slight improvement in a further 4. 8 patients were assessed as unchanged, and one as mentally deteriorated. The psychiatric analyses was based on a new diagnostic system created by two of die authors (G.L., H.M.). The patients manifested varying, often complex psychiatric symptom constellations with symptomatological components from two or more organic mental disorders. Before the operation a mild or a moderately severe somnolence‐sopor‐coma disorder (SSCD) was diagnosed in 10 cases. After the operation all these patients became free from symptoms of SSCD. This was die most unequivocal change in connection with die operation, and the elimination of all symptoms of SSCD was the single factor which most effectively contributed to the total therapeutical result in diese patients. All 23 cases were considered to have symptoms of a more or less severe astheno‐emotional disorder (AED) preoperatively. The degree of severity of this disorder could not be determined with satisfactory certainty in some of the patients with complex symptoms. Amongst the 17 cases where the preoperative symptomatology allowed for a reasonably precise calculation of the degree of severity of AED, 6 were assessed as markedly improved after the operation and 10 as largely unchanged. In one patient, symptoms of the AED increased when the postoperative course was complicated by a subdural haematoma. Symptoms of an emotional‐motivational blunting disorder (EMD) were diagnosed in 5 cases before the opera‐don. After the operation 3 of these patients were symptom free in this respect while 2 were unchanged. Slight or moderately severe symptoms of Korsakoff s amnestic disorder (KAD) were before the operation found in 7 cases: at the postoperative examination 6 of these cases were improved, of which 4 were free from such symptoms; one was unchanged. According to our experience, confident prognoses concerning die effect of the shunt operation on symptoms of SSCD can be made preoperatively, while, for a particular patient, the therapeutic effect on AED, EMD and KAD is often difficult, or sometimes impossible, to foresee. This article contains three case reports which represent different forms and courses of the mental symptom patterns.
Criminality and platelet monoamine oxidase activity in former juvenile delinquents as adults
Authors: Alm P. O. , Alm M. , Humble K. , Leppert J. , Sörensen S. , Lidberg L. , Oreland L.
Published: August 2007

Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was estimated in 70 former delinquent boys and 40 controls now aged 38–46 years. Platelet MAO activity was compared with their early criminal behaviour (before the age of 15) and their late registered criminality from the age of 15). Mean platelet MAO activity in subjects with both early and late criminality was significantly lower than that in former delinquents without late criminality. There was no significant difference in mean platelet MAO activity between controls and delinquents with early but no late criminality. When delinquents with early criminality were divided into a low and a high MAO group, the relative risk to be registered for late criminality was about 3.1 times higher for the subjects in the low MAO group. Thus, individuals with low platelet MAO activity run an increased risk of continued criminal behaviour.
Hysterical neurosis – a follow‐up study
Authors: Chandrasekaran R. , Goswami U. , Sivakumar V. , Chitralekha
Published: August 2007

Hysterical neurosis, though infrequently diagnosed in the West, is still one of the commonest mental disorders in India. In this study, 38 women with an index diagnosis of hysterical neurosis were evaluated after a period of 5 years; 63% of the patients remained totally asymptomatic. The premorbid hysterical personality alone showed significant relationship with the outcome.
Symptoms and social adjustment of schizophrenic patients as evaluated by family members
Authors: Otsuka T. , Nakane Y. , Ohta Y.
Published: August 2007

The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationship between family expressed emotion (EE) and family evaluation for symptoms and social adjustment of schizophrenic patients. Chronic schizophrenic outpatients in offshore islands under stationary therapeutic conditions were studied. For evaluation, the Five Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) for EE and the Katz Adjustment Scale (KAS) for family evaluation of patients were used. EE level was high among relatives who thought the patient was belligerent, negativistic, unstable or helpless. High‐EE relatives tended to evaluate their patients' performance of social activities rather low and showed strong dissatisfaction with the patient's leisure activities. Moreover, a high emotional overinvolvement (EOI) value is more common in Japan than in other countries. A subgroup of the FMSS‐EOI, the emotional display, was seen where many mothers began to cry while speaking.
The present state of people who survived the holocaust as children
Authors: Robinson S. , Rapaport‐Bar‐Sever M. , Rapaport J.
Published: August 2007

A total of 103 Holocaust survivors who suffered from Nazi persecution during their childhood years were interviewed in 1992. The interviews were conducted using a questionnaire specially prepared for statistical studies of Holocaust survivors. The study demonstrated that most survivors in this sample still suffer today, more than 50 years after the outbreak of the Second World War, from symptoms of the survivor syndrome. Their mental suffering is in positive correlation to the intensity of the trauma they suffered in their childhood. Those who were in death camps suffer more than those who suffered during their childhood from other forms of persecution by the Nazis. The coping and adjustment of child survivors of death camps were also less successful than the coping and adjustment of child survivors who went through other forms of persecution.
Recovery from depression after electroconvulsive therapy is accompanied by evidence of increased tetrahydrobiopterin‐dependent hydroxylation
Authors: Anderson D. N. , Wilkinson A. M. , Abou‐Saleh M. T. , Blair J. A.
Published: August 2007

Serum phenylalanine and tyrosine levels were measured in 26 patients with severe depression before and after receiving electroconvulsive therapy. The phenylalanine:tyrosine [P:T] ratio declined significantly for those responding to treatment but not for nonresponders. These findings are discussed in relation to tetrahydrobiopterin, the essential cofactor for the formation of noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin and the hydroxylation of phenylalanine to tyrosine.
The relationship between psychosocial and cognitive functioning in schizophrenic patients and expressed emotion and communication deviance in their parents
Authors: Rund B. R.
Published: August 2007

The relationship between the family variables of expressed emotion (EE) and communication deviance (CD) and patient attributes of cognitive functions and clinical symptoms were examined. Eleven schizophrenic patients and their parents were evaluated at the beginning and the end of a 2‐year treatment programme. The test battery for the patients included the Global Assessment Scale (GAS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and a cognitive test battery. Parents’ CD was evaluated with the Communication Conflict Situation and their EE level with Camberwell Family Interview. A significant correlation between patients’ GAS score and mother's criticism score was found. The cognitive variable of backward masking was the measure that most consistently showed a close relationship to parent's EE level. The masking measure also differentiated significantly between parents who improved and parents who did not improve on EE during the 2‐year treatment period. An empirical basis for a link between patients’ cognitive functioning and parents’ style of communication was not found.
Rates and correlates of suicide attempts in first‐admission psychotic patients
Authors: Cohen S. , Lavelle J. , Rich C. L. , Bromet E.
Published: August 2007

The relationship of attempted suicide to demographic characteristics, current and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, clinical history, and current symptoms was assessed in a sample of 184 recently hospitalized psychotic patients. Forty‐three patients (23%) had an attempt history, and 28 (15% of sample; 65% of attempters) made an attempt during the episode for which they were hospitalized. Demographic characteristics did not distinguish attempters from nonattempters. Variables significantly associated with having ever attempted suicide were current diagnosis of unipolar major depressive disorder but not bipolar; lifetime major depressive episode; a history characterized by a less acute onset, lower pre‐admission psychosocial functioning, and episodes of physical violence; and a symptom picture characterized by greater depression, hopelessness, negative symptoms, hallucinations and less thought disorder. Those with a current attempt had significantly higher rates of lifetime history of major depression and less physical violence than those with past attempts only. The potential importance of the data for predicting future suicidal acts is discussed.
Management of suicide attempters: what are the routines and the costs?
Authors: Runeson B. , Wasserman D.
Published: August 2007

The services offered to a consecutive series of 97 suicide attempters (36 men and 61 women) at a general hospital were registered by a participating observer. All but one case were subjected to psychiatric consultation for suicide risk assessment, but only 34% were evaluated by a psychiatric specialist. Fifty‐seven percent were admitted to psychiatric inpatient care. The length of inpatient care varied, the average duration was 5 days for men and 14 days for women. Repeaters were admitted more often than nonrepeaters. The short‐term compliance was satisfactory. The direct cost for management was evaluated based on the detailed quantification of care provided for each subject. The care at the hospital equalled 6.4% of the total budget for psychiatric inpatient care.
Alpha‐1‐ and 2‐adrenoceptor subsensitivity in siblings of opioid addicts with personality disorders and depression
Authors: Gerra G. , Caccavari R. , Marcato A. , Zaimovic A. , Avanzini P. , Monica C. , Mutti A. , Fontanesi B. , Delsignore R. , Brambilla F.
Published: August 2007

Noradrenergic receptor sensitivity of 16 healthy male siblings of heroin addicts and of 8 age and sex‐matched controls was examined by administering a clonidine stimulation test and by measuring the resulting growth hormone (GH) (alpha‐2‐adrenoceptors) and beta‐endorphin (β‐endorphin) (alpha‐1‐adrenoceptors) responses. Siblings were divided into two groups: A = siblings of heroin addicts with personality disorders and high aggressivity and B = siblings of heroin addicts without mental disorders. The GH and β‐endorphin responses to clonidine were blunted in group A subjects compared with controls and normal in group B.
Mortality during initial and during later lithium treatment
Authors: Müller‐Oerlinghausen B. , Wolf T. , Ahrens B. , Schou M. , Grof E. , Grof P. , Lenz G. , Simhandl C. , Thau K. , Wolf R.
Published: August 2007

We have previously shown that the mortality of patients with recurrent affective disorders in long‐term lithium treatment is not higher than that of the general population. In the present study on 471 patients from Denmark and Germany, we examined mortality during the initial year of lithium treatment and during later lithium treatment. During initial lithium treatment, the total mortality was twice as high as in the general population (difference not significant) and the mortality due to suicide 16 times higher. During later lithium treatment, the mortality rates did not differ from those in the general population. Our results indicate that patients with frequent, often severe recurrences, those chosen for prophylactic lithium treatment, are at risk of high mortality, which then diminishes as the prophylactic action of the treatment takes effect.
Biological correlates of deliberate self‐harm behaviour: a study of electroencephalographic, biochemical and psychological variables in parasuicide
Authors: Ashton C. H. , Marshall E. F. , Hassanyeh F. , Marsh V. R. , Wright‐Honari S.
Published: August 2007

Clinical, electroencephalographic and biochemical variables were measured in 40 patients who attempted suicide and 27 age‐matched controls. Patients had significantly higher scores for depression, hopelessness, neuroticism and psychoticism and lower scores for extraversion than controls. They also had significantly lower contingent negative variation (CNV), higher postimperative negative variation and lower whole blood serotonin values than controls. Within the patient group, vulnerability to parasuicide, as determined by previous or repeated acts of deliberate self‐harm, was associated with higher scores for hopelessness and suicide intent, lower scores for extraversion and decreased CNV. Factor analysis revealed significant correlations between psychological variables and auditory evoked potential amplitudes for the vulnerable group. A profile of variables associated with increased risk of self‐harm in patients presenting with attempted suicide is proposed from our data.
Diagnosis of schizophrenia in a matched sample of Australian aborigines
Authors: Mowry B. J. , Lennon D. P. , De Felice C. N.
Published: August 2007

Cross‐cultural phenomenology is one method of studying mental disorders such as schizophrenia. There are few data of this nature available on Australian aborigines. Using a retrospective medical record review of 39 matched pairs of aboriginal and nonaboriginal patients discharged as schizophrenic from a psychiatric hospital, this study investigated whether any phenomenological differences, using DSM‐III‐R criteria, existed between the two groups. Of all criteria, bizarre delusions, social deterioration, illness duration and organic exclusion were statistically significant, with fewer aboriginal subjects having documentation for each of these variables. Possible explanations for these findings, including intergroup phenomenological differences and assessment variation, are discussed.
Synchronized annual rhythms in violent suicide rate, ambient temperature and the light‐dark span
Authors: Maes M. , De Meyer F. , Thompson P. , Peeters D. , Cosyns P.
Published: August 2007

To investigate whether violent and nonviolent suicide and homicide are related to atmospheric or geomagnetic activity, we investigated the relationships between weekly number of suicides or homicides for all Belgium for the period 1979–1987, and ambient temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, hours of sunlight and precipitation per day, wind speed and geomagnetic index. The occurrence of violent suicide was significantly and positively related to ambient temperature, sunlight duration, an increase in temperature over the few past weeks, and negatively to relative humidity. Higher ambient temperature and an increase in air temperature over the few past weeks were the most significant climatic predictors of violent suicide rate. A highly significant common annual rhythm with a common acrophase of 190° was detected in violent suicide rate, ambient temperature and sunlight duration. No significant time‐relationships between nonviolent suicide or homicide and any of the weather variables were found. It is concluded that i) violent suicide may be related to short‐term fluctuations in the weather and in particular to temperature; and ii) the annual rhythm in violent suicide may be synchronized by the annual rhythms in ambient temperature and light‐dark span.
Physical activity and personal characteristics associated with depression and suicide in American college men
Authors: Paffenbarger R. S. , Lee I.‐M. , Leung R.
Published: August 2007

Among Harvard alumni aged 35–74 in 1962 or 1966, incidence rates of physician‐diagnosed depression, together with suicide rates, were examined during a 23–27‐year follow‐up period, by antecedent physical activity habits and other personal characteristics. A total of 387 first attacks of depression developed among 10,201 alumni who survived through 1988; 129 suicides occurred among 21,569 alumni during follow‐up through 1988. Depression rates were lower among the physically active and sports players, higher among cigarette smokers, unrelated to alcohol consumption, and higher among alumni reporting such personality traits as insomnia, exhaustion, cyclothymia, and self‐consciousness. Suicide rates were largely unrelated to antecedent physical activity and alcohol consumption, higher among smokers, and substantially higher among men reporting the personality traits that predicted increased rates of depression.

Report number LIII in a series on chronic disease in former college students.
Light treatment for seasonal affective disorder:
Authors: Partonen T. , Partinen M.
Published: August 2007

The concept of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) includes any depression whose onset is related to a certain season. Reduced environmental light is hypothesized to be the main precipitating factor of winter depression. Light treatment is used to prevent the onset of depressive episodes and to reduce depressive symptoms in patients with depression during winter months. The mechanisms of action which lead to the well‐documented antidepressant response are still unknown. Several hypotheses of the pathogenesis of SAD are discussed, and the clinical practice of light treatment is reviewed
Compliance with antipsychotic drug treatment: influence of side effects
Authors: WW Fleischhacker , U Meise , V Günther , M Kurz
Published: August 2007

In addition to other factors such as type and duration of treatment, patient‐ and illness‐related variables and other psychosocial features, side effects are known to exert a significant influence on the compliance with antipsychotic treatment. This has been demonstrated for extrapyramidal motor side effects and akathisia, sedation, weight gain and sexual dysfunctions. Other adverse events interfering with the patients' social roles also interfere with the patients' willingness to comply with treatment. It is important to acknowledge this not only in the acute treatment of schizophrenia but especially during maintenance and prophylactic treatment. Compliance can be considerably improved by a) adequately informing the patient about the risks and nature of side effects and b) by recognizing and treating side effects, since prevention of adverse events is not easily achieved. An underestimation of the influence of side effects on compliance will often lead to treatment failures that are erroneously attributed to treatment resistance.
Lay beliefs about schizophrenic disorder: the results of a population survey in Germany
Authors: Angermeyer M. C. , Matschinger H.
Published: August 2007

According to Fishbein & Ajzen's theory of reasoned action, normative expectations on the part of significant others influence the compliance of schizophrenic patients. These expectations in turn are determined for the most part by the beliefs prevailing in society regarding this illness and the adequate treatment thereof. Results from a representative study conducted in Germany after reunification in 1990 demonstrate the disagreement on essential issues between lay beliefs and psychiatric teaching. Compared with experts in psychiatry, the lay public attaches great importance to current psychosocial influences for the aetiology of schizophrenic disorder. It prefers psychological methods of treatment, maintaining a reserved stance with regard to treatment with psychotropic drugs. Negative consequences for compliance with the latter on the part of the patients are to be expected as a result.
The influence of community‐based psychiatry in Copenhagen on the treatment of chronic psychoses
Authors: Gjerris A.
Published: August 2007

Several factors influence the outcome of prevention of relapse in patients with chronic psychoses ‐ mainly schizophrenia. A key word in the prophylactic treatment is compliance. Compliance is primarily related to drug treatment, but seen in a broader perspective it depends on the circumstances under which the treatment is offered. From 3 cohort investigations in Copenhagen mainly including patients with chronic psychoses, it seems as if community‐based psychiatry in Copenhagen possesses some of the ingredients ‐ high professional standard, continuity, care and support ‐that are considered to improve the outcome of treatment. However, suicidality and social isolation are some of the important areas that need further attention.