bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Amnesia for criminal offences
Authors: Taylor Pamela J. , Kopelman Michael D. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisNearly 10% of a sample of men charged with a variety of offences claimed amnesia for their offence. The amnesia occurred only among those who had committed violence and was most frequent following homicide. All the amnesics had a psychiatric disorder, four having a primary depressive illness and the remainder being almost equally divided between schizophrenia and alcohol abuse. None of the amnesias had any legal implications. The circumstances of the offences suggested a variety of mechanisms to account for the amnesia, including repression, dissociation and alcoholic black-outs. Psychological defence mechanisms were probably of some importance, even when alcohol was an important factor.
Sudden deaths in the mentally handicapped
Authors: Carter G. , Jancar J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisTrends in the incidence and causes of sudden deaths in a hospital group for the mentally handicapped were identified during a 50-year period, and the two halves of the period were compared. There were significantly more deaths in the second 25-year period than in the first. Longevity was greater during the second period, and a decrease in deaths due to status epilepticus was outweighed by an increase in deaths from arterial degenerative disease in the larger number of older patients. In the second period there was also a significant rise in sudden deaths due to asphyxia, probably attributable to modern medication with side-effects giving rise to feeding difficulties.
Precursors and metabolites of 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine in the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid of psychiatric patients
Authors: Bridges P. K. , Bartlett J. R. , Sepping P. , Kantamaneni B. D. , Curzon G. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisTryptophan and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (precursor and metabolite respectively of 5-hydroxytryptaminę) were determined in ventricular CSF of psychiatric patients undergoing stereotactic subcaudate tractotomy. Tyrosine and homovanillic acid (precursor and metabolite respectively of dopamine) were also determined. Results suggest an association between affective state and the above precursor amino acids with lower concentrations in primary depression and higher ones when anxiety or agitation predominate. This leads to lower 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations in depression and higher concentrations in anxiety and agitation.
Dependency of different types in schoolchildren with epilepsy
Authors: Stores Gregory , Piran Niva 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisBy means of the Self-Administered Dependency Questionnaire (SADQ), 4 types of dependency on mother were measured in 65 children with epilepsy attending ordinary school, subgrouped according to sex, level of schooling, electrographic type of epilepsy, and drug treatment. The various dependency scores of each subgroup were compared with the appropriate norms available for the SADQ. Compared with normal boys, epileptic boys of primary school age (N = 16) were generally found to be more in need of close physical emotional contact with their mother and her physical proximity when away from home, although they were less ready to talk to her about their practical problems and ask for her help. The needs of epileptic boys of secondary-school age (N = 18) were expressed more in terms of their mother's help with practical matters at home. In contrast, no significant differences were apparent between epileptic and normal girls at either level of schooling. In comparisons between epileptic children who consistently produced only generalized seizure activity in their EEG (N = 31), a right temporal spike discharge (N = 16) or a similar discharge on the left (N = 18), both boys and girls with a left temporal spike discharge tended to show significantly higher need for close physical emotional contact with their mother than children in the other electrographic groups. No clear relationship was seen between dependency scores and type of anti-epileptic drug treatment.
Features of children taken to juvenile court for failure to attend school
Authors: Berg Ian , Butler Alan , Hullin Roy , Smith Rebecca , Tyrer Stephen 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe social reports on 84 children taken to court for failure to attend school were studied. Independent raters were able to assess reliably the presence and absence of a variety of variables concerned with the individual's behaviour, school, family, and involvement with social work agencies. In 68 instances teachers' questionnaires measuring psychiatric disturbance had been completed. There was no evidence that truancy in these circumstances is a homogeneous condition. At least 3 independent sets of features appear to be involved in most cases. One involves antisocial and educational problems (‘clinical truancy’), a second is concerned with adverse social factors and parental complicity (‘school withdrawal’), and a third set includes a tendency to social isolation (‘school refusal’). There was no evidence that individuals tend to exhibit one of these features to the exclusion of the others.
Serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase in chronic alcoholism
Authors: Sullivan John L. , Stanfield Charles N. , Schanberg Saul , Cavenar Jesse 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisPrevious reports suggest that high serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) activity may be associated with vulnerability to alcoholism. However, there are also contradictory studies in the literature. Therefore we measured serum DBH in chronic alcoholics followed for 12 months in a treatment programme after psychiatric hospitalization for acute alcoholism. Mean serum DBH activity in the alcoholics was unchanged from controls at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months following hospital discharge. These data imply that serum DBH activity does not provide a useful metabolic screen for vulnerability to chronic alcoholism. However, prospective studies of patients at high risk to develop alcoholism will be helpful in further clarification of this issue.
Genetic and environmental determinants of the lability of trait neuroticism and the symptoms of anxiety and depression
Authors: Mackinnon A. J. , Henderson A. S. , Andrews G. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisA genetic analysis was conducted on trait neuroticism and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a five-wave study of 462 twin pairs. Models that assessed the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors to the lability (within-individual variability over time) of these measures were fitted to the data. Previous results concerning the substantial genetic involvement in the level of neuroticism and symptoms were confirmed. However, it was found that neither genes nor the shared environment of the twins was a significant cause of lability of these measures. An attempt was therefore made to identify aspects of individuals' environments that might be responsible for lability of neuroticism and symptoms. Adverse life events were found to predict variability of symptoms, but not of neuroticism. The availability of close social ties or having affectionless control in childhood did not contribute to lability.
Do mental health surveys disturb?
Authors: Henderson A. S. , Jorm A. F. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisWe have tested the assumption that mental health surveys do not cause distress. At the end of a two-wave community survey of psychiatric symptoms and personality factors, respondents were asked specific questions about how the interviews affected them. Being interviewed was distressing for some individuals, but it was seen as beneficial by a larger number. Those reporting distress were more likely to have had neurotic symptoms prior to both interviews and to have personality characteristics which would indicate proneness to distress. Whether the distress lasted beyond the interview situation is unknown. These results suggest that surveys of mental health should tell intended respondents about the possible effects of the interview, both positive and negative. Some studies should try to estimate the duration of any distress reported to have been induced.
Memory deficit in clinical depression: processing resources and the structure of materials
Authors: Watts Fraser N. , Dalgleish Tim , Bourke Patrick , Healy David 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisResource theory predicts that the relative memory deficit shown by depressed patients should be greater with unstructured than structured material. Previous data using semantic categories word lists supports this, but lists approximating to text have produced the opposite result. Both types of structure were studied in this experiment. The prediction from resource theory was found to hold only when comparing medium and high levels of structure, and to hold more clearly for word lists approximating to text than for semantic categories lists. When word lists of low and medium levels of structure were compared, depressed patients showed relatively greater deficit with the more structured material. Ways in which this could be accommodated in a revised version of resource theory are discussed.
The Nottingham Study of Neurotic Disorder: relationship between personality status and symptoms
Authors: Tyrer P. , Seivewright N. , Ferguson B. , Murphy S. , Darling C. , Brothwell J. , Kingdon D. , Johnson A. L. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisTwo hundred and ten psychiatric patients with one of three DSM-III diagnoses, generalized anxiety disorder (N = 71), panic disorder (N = 74) or dysthymic disorder (N = 65), were included in a clinical trial in which diazepam, dothiepin or placebo tablets, cognitive and behaviour therapy, or a self-help package were given over ten weeks. Personality status was assessed independently using a structured interview, the Personality Assessment Schedule. One hundred and ninety-eight patients had personality assessments, 89% with a close informant. Thirty-six per cent had a personality disorder and these patients had more severe psychopathology than those with no personality disorder. Personality disorder was more common in patients with dysthymic disorder and this group responded less well to treatment. The category of personality disorder had no apparent influence on symptoms.
Emotional symptomatology in obese patients treated with fenfluramine and dextroamphetamine
Authors: Rickels Karl , Hesbacher Peter , Fisher Ellen , Perloff Milton M. , Rosenfeld Howard 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisEmotional symptomatology data on 78 obese females treated for 3 weeks with fenfluramine, dextroamphetamine, or placebo were evaluated. These obese females were shown to be considerably less emotionally disturbed than neurotic females, and similar in emotional symptomatology to other females seeing physicians for nonpsychiatric complaints. Even within these marginally symptomatic patients, fenfluramine and dextroamphetamine were significantly more effective than placebo in reducing anxious, depressive, and anxious-depressive symptomatology. Fenfluramine was particularly effective in alleviating anxiety in patients who were initially higher in anxiety. Most important, fenfluramine produced significantly greater weight loss than dextroamphetamine in patients with higher levels of anxiety and depression, while dextroamphetamine was an especially effective anorexic in low anxious patients. Differences in initial anxiety and depression, even within relatively normal patients, may well affect results obtained with fenfluramine and dextroamphetamine in the short-term treatment of obesity.
Sturdy childhood predictors of adult antisocial behaviour: replications from longitudinal studies
Authors: Robins Lee N. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisResults are compared in studies of 4 male cohorts – 1 all white, 1 all black, and 2 racially representative of the population – growing up in different eras, followed past varying portions of their adult lives, living in different parts of the US. Despite sample differences and differences in sources of information and in the variables used to measure both childhood predictors and adult outcomes, some striking replications appear with respect to childhood predictors of adult antisocial behaviour. All types of antisocial behaviour in childhood predict a high level of antisocial behaviour in adulthood and each kind of adult antisocial behaviour is predicted by the number of childhood antisocial behaviours, indicating that adult and childhood antisocial behaviour both form syndromes and that these syndromes are closely interconnected. Also confirmed across studies are: (1) adult antisocial behaviour virtually requires childhood antisocial behaviour; (2) most antisocial children do not become antisocial adults; (3) the variety of antisocial behaviour in childhood is a better predictor of adult antisocial behaviour than is any particular behaviour; (4) adult antisocial behaviour is better predicted by childhood behaviour than by family background or social class of rearing; (5) social class makes little contribution to the prediction of serious adult antisocial behaviour.
Major psychosis and dopamine: controversial features and some suggestions
Authors: Miller Robert 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThree problems with the dopamine hypothesis of major psychosis are pointed out: the long time-course of neuroleptic therapy; the absence of tolerance to the antipsychotic effects of neuroleptic drugs, or of a supersensitivity psychosis on drug withdrawal; and the absence of potent psychotogenic properties in the direct dopamine agonists. A resolution of these paradoxes is suggested relying on a role for dopamine in learning processes at a relatively high (cognitive) functional level. The hypothesis proposed is also used to explain the origin of some of the more distinctive psychotic symptoms.
Idiot savant calendrical calculators: maths or memory?
Authors: O'Connor N. , Hermelin B. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisEight idiot savant calendrical calculators were tested on dates in the years 1963, 1973, 1983, 1986 and 1993. The study was carried out in 1983. Speeds of correct response were minimal in 1983 and increased markedly into the past and the future. The response time increase was matched by an increase in errors. Speeds of response were uncorrelated with measured IQ, but the numbers were insufficient to justify any inference in terms of IQ-independence. Results are interpreted as showing that memory alone is inadequate to explain the calendrical calculating performance of the idiot savant subjects.
A clinical and epidemiological survey of parasuicide and suicide in Edinburgh schizophrenics
Authors: Wilkinson Greg , Bacon Niall A. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisBetween 1968 and 1981 there were roughly equal numbers of male and female schizophrenic parasuicides in Edinburgh: males were significantly younger than females at parasuicide (33 v. 37 years), and had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia for a shorter time (3·4 v. 7·2 years). The clinical, epidemiological and social characteristics of such parasuicides are, by and large, those that might be expected from a knowledge of the epidemiology of schizophrenia.Eight per cent of a sample of Edinburgh schizophrenic first-ever parasuicides subsequently committed suicide, when followed up for up to 14 years. This percentage is close to what would be expected for later suicide in non-schizophrenic parasuicides. When all the suicides were considered, similar numbers of male and female schizophrenics killed themselves; their mean ages at death were 42 and 43 years respectively; and the mean duration of the schizophrenic illness was 10 years in both cases, according to hospital records.We found slight evidence that parasuicide is commoner in schizophrenic suicides than in schizophrenic controls but little evidence to support the contention that there may be a specific relationship between suicide (or parasuicide) and the presence of auditory hallucinations, recent discharge from in-patient care, the use of depot neuroleptic medication, or recent parasuicide.From the point of view of the prevention of suicide and parasuicide in schizophrenics, it is noteworthy that we found few differences between the clinical characteristics and management of schizophrenic parasuicides and suicides, and schizophrenic controls.
Factors affecting survival in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Burns Alistair , Lewis Glyn , Jacoby Robin , Levy Raymond 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISFactors affecting survival of 178 patients diagnosed using NINCDS/ADRDA criteria for Alzheimer's disease were studied. All patients were drawn from the Camberwell Health Authority Area and so were a representative sample of subjects from a clinical old age psychiatry service. The mortality rate of the sample was 3·5 times that expected after adjustment for age. Younger subjects had a higher standardized mortality ratio than older subjects. The cumulative three-year mortality of the sample was 47%. Factors shown to be associated with a reduced survival included: increasing age, longer duration of illness, male sex, presence of physical illness, poor cognitive function, observed depression and absence of misidentification syndromes. Apraxia was a stronger predictor of early death than aphasia or dysmnesia.
Life events, social problems and physical health status as predictors of emotional distress in men and women in a community setting
Authors: Zimmermann-Tansella Christa , Donini Stefano , Lattanzi Marcello , Siciliani Orazio , Turrina Cesare , Wilkinson Greg 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISThe main aim of this study was to construct logistic models of emotional distress (defined as a GHQ-30 score of 6 or greater) in a community sample of 226 men and 225 women. The independent variables included were: sociodemographic characteristics, physical health status, social problems and undesirable life events. Univariate comparisons showed that in both sexes undesirable life events and social problems were associated with emotional distress; in men the presence of physical symptoms and widowed, separated or divorced status also showed such an association. Separate logistic regression models for men and women confirmed the importance of undesirable life events and social problems as predictors for emotional distress. In women there was also a significant interaction effect between the two variables on emotional distress. Sociodemographic characteristics and physical health status did not exert a statistically significant effect in these models.
Lateral ventricular size in schizophrenia: relationship to the disease process and its clinical manifestations
Authors: Owens D. G. C. , Johnstone E. C. , Crow T. J. , Frith C. D. , Jagoe J. R. , Kreel L. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisUsing computed tomography, lateral ventricular size was studied in a sample of 112 institutionalized chronic schizophrenic patients (selected from 510 cases to investigate the correlates of the defect state and intellectual decline and the effects of insulin, electroconvulsive and neuroleptic treatment), and compared with matched groups of non-institutionalized schizophrenics, patients with first schizophrenic episodes, institutionalized and non-institutionalized patients with primary affective disorder, and neurotic out-patients. Age was significantly correlated (P< 0·0002) with lateral ventricular size, but the institutionalized schizophrenic patients had significantly larger (P< 0·025) lateral ventricles than the neurotics when age was taken into account. Ventricular enlargement was unrelated to past physical treatment (neuroleptics, insulin coma and electroconvulsive therapy).Within the group of institutionalized schizophrenic patients few correlates of ventricular enlargement were identified; thus in this population increased ventricular size was not clearly associated with the features of the defect state (negative symptoms and intellectual impairment). however, there was a curvilinear (inverted-U) relationship between intellectual function and ventricular size was significantly related to absence of hallucinations, impairment of social behaviour, inactivity and the presence of abnormal involuntary movements.The findings confirm that structural brain changes do occur in chronic schizophrenia, but illustrate some of the difficulties in elucidating the clinical significance of ventricular enlargement. Lateral not bimodal; the relationship to particular features of the disease is complex and likely to emerge only in studies with a large sample size.
An investigation of patients' attitudes to ECT by means of Q-analysis
Authors: Cowley P. N. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis paper is a preliminary investigation into the application of Q-analysis in clinical psychiatry, Q-analysis is used to describe the interrelationships of attitudes that two groups of patients were observed to hold towards ECT. The data were collected as part of the Leicestershire ECT trial. One group comprised 96 patients who consented to enter the trial. The other group was formed by 23 patients who refused to participate in the trial, but who agreed to be interviewed so that their attitudes could be assessed.The method of applying Q-analysis is described, and the resultant outputs for the two groups are discussed. The presence of insight, a subjective need for treatment and trust in ECT were significant features in the 96 patients who agreed to enter the trial. However, among this group there was a subset of patients who were very anxious and who had little desire to receive ECT or trust in it. Among the 23 patients who refused to participate in the trial two main viewpoints could be discerned. First, there was a subgroup who seemed accurately to assess their need for treatment, had insight and trust in ECT as well as specifically wanting to receive it. The second was composed of patients who were very apprehensive, did not want ECT and generally were unhappy about being in hospital. In both groups it was considered that level of knowledge was relatively unimportant in the formation of attitudes.
Psychological aspects of dialysis: a Semantic Differential study
Authors: Clark Rosalind , Hailstone J. Donovan , Slade P. D. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISTwenty-one patients on The Royal Free Hospital dialysis programme and 21 control subjects were examined using the Semantic Differential. Results were analysed by the method of check-style analysis and by a comparison of concept profiles for the 2 groups using a multivariate analysis program.A highly significant difference (p < 0·001) was found between the check-styles of dialysis and control groups. The implications of this finding are discussed.Three concepts were selected for particular study: ‘my self’, ‘my ideal self’ and ‘people’. There were significant differences in profiles between the 2 groups on all 3 concepts.Subgroup analysis showed further differences for sex, age and length of time on dialysis.
Corticosteroid and growth hormone responses to methylamphetamine in depressive illness
Authors: Checkley S. A. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISIt is suggested that, if depressed patients have deficient noradrenergic function at central α-adrenergic receptors, then they will also have impaired corticosteroid responses to methylamphetamine but unaltered growth hormone responses. This prediction has been confirmed when the responses of a group of patients with endogenous depression were compared with the responses of a group of patients with other functional psychoses, a group of patients with reactive depression, and a group of patients with other psychiatric diagnoses. These findings support the hypothesis that there is a functional deficiency of noradrenaline at some central α-adrenergic receptors.
Multicompartmental analysis of amino acids: III. Tyrosine in affective disorder
Authors: Shaw D. M. , Tidmarsh S. F. , Johnson A. L. , Michalakeas A. C. , Riley G. J. , Blazek R. , MacSweeney D. A. , Francis A. F. , Hewland R. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISMulticompartmental studies of tyrosine in patients suffering from affective disorders and controls gave estimates of 2 major pools of amino acid, together with the associated fractional clearance rates and fluxes. The 2 pools were considered provisionally to represent extracellular and intracellular tyrosine.