bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Behavioural measurement and drug response characteristics of unipolar and bipolar depression
Authors: Katz Martin M. , Robins Eli , Croughan Jack , Secunda Steven , Swann Alan 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis research is part of the NIMH-CRB Collaborative Study on the psychobiology of depression. The main objective of the research programme is to test hypotheses concerning the interaction of neurobiological mechanisms and behaviour in the depressive disorders. Part I of the report describes the rationale and the overall approach to measuring behavioural state and outcome in the research programme. Part II reports on the results of applying the behavioural methods to a comparison of the clinical phenomenology of unipolar and bipolar depression. The behavioural patterns expressed during the episode by the two groups are different. Further, the two types are shown to react differently to treatment with tricyclic drugs, reinforcing the thesis that they are qualitatively distinct forms of the depressive disorders.
Insulin Tolerance Test: human growth hormone response and insulin resistance in primary unipolar depressed, bipolar depressed and control subjects
Authors: Koslow Stephen H. , Stokes Peter E. , Mendels Joseph , Ramsey Alan , Casper Regina 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisPreliminary data from the National Institute of Mental Health – Clinical Research Branch Collaborative Program on the Psychobiology of Depression dealing with the human growth hormone (hGH) response to the Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT) during the pre-treatment (drug-free) period of the study are presented in this paper. Data are reported for 54 unipolar depressed, 21 bipolar depressed, and 40 normal control subjects, who represent approximately 50% of the final subject sample to be studied. In this population the unipolar depressed subjects showed a significantly greater resistance to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia than bipolar and control subjects. After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria necessary to interpret hGH responses accurately, the data from only 54 subjects were acceptable. Mean peak hGH concentrations were not significantly different among the three groups. There was, however, a significant difference in the distributions of the hGH peak response, with the bipolar depressed population demonstrating greater variability in response than unipolar and control populations. These findings are discussed as they relate to previous reports and theoretical considerations.
The effect of digoxin on the response to lithium therapy in mania
Authors: Chambers Catherine A. , Smith Anne H. W. , Naylor Graham J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisPatients suffering from manic-depressive psychosis, manic type (ICD 296·0), were treated with lithium carbonate and randomly allocated to two groups, one received digoxin and the other matching placebo for 7 days. Severity of mania was rated by psychiatrists on the Manic Rating Scale and Analogue Line on days 0 and 7 and by nurses daily on the Hargreaves Rating Scale, Psychotic Rating. Fourteen patients received digoxin and lithium carbonate and 14 patients received placebo and lithium carbonate. Improvement in the placebo lithium group was significantly greater than that in the digoxin lithium group. This trial suggests, therefore, that the effect of inhibition of membrane cation carrier is to reduce the response to lithium. This result is in keeping with our hypothesis that an increase in Na–K ATPase is essential to the therapeutic effect of lithium carbonate. It does not, however, exclude the possibility that the observations resulted from the inhibition by digoxin of lithium entry into the brain.
Early improvement as a predictor of response to amitriptyline and nortriptyline: a comparison of 2 patient samples
Authors: Coryell W. , Coppen A. , Zeigler V. E. , Biggs J. T. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis study compared serial severity ratings from 2 methodologically similar tricyclic antidepressant studies. Though the groups resembled each other in terms of diagnosis and baseline severity, response patterns were surprisingly different. In particular, early change was highly predictive of outcome in one group but not in the other. The results of response predictor studies must, therefore, be generalized with caution. These data, nevertheless, do allow some guidelines for predicting response from early changes and severity.
The impact of an expanding community mental health service on patterns of bed usage: evaluation of a four-year period of implementation
Authors: Häfner H. , Klug J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisIn the city of Mannheim the introduction of an extensive community mental health service has been shown, by means of case-register data over 4½ years, to have led to a considerable increase in utilization, mainly at the out-patient level of care. The rates of admission to hospital increased very little. Due to the simultaneous decline in long-term bed occupancy, the overall need for psychiatric beds remained stable at a rate of about 1·2/1000, a rate which is very low by international standards.The sharp decline in the ‘old’ long-stay population was followed by a smaller increase in ‘new’ long-stay patients which it has not been possible to prevent. These patients are, however, admitted for a long-term stay significantly later than formerly, and their diagnostic composition has changed significantly.The increase in the bed requirements for short- and medium-term stay patients resulted from different sources: an increasing morbidity in some groups of disorders, the rising utilization in case of emergencies and severe crises, and the transfer of long-stay patients to alternative care services. The level of these needs was very similar in Mannheim, Salford, Samsø and Camberwell, whereas the rates for long-term beds still show clear national differences.
Psychosocial factors and blood pressure
Authors: Goldberg Evelyn L. , Comstock George W. , Graves Carol G. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISBlood pressure levels as recorded in a community-wide screening programme were compared with findings in an earlier mental health study for persons who participated in both programmes. Blood pressure was not related to previously ascertained psychosocial characteristics among persons who were not under treatment for hypertension, suggesting that depression, hostility, psychosomatic reactions to stress, or the felt need for help with emotional problems were not important in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Treatment for hypertension, however, was associated with an excess of psychosomatic symptoms, a factor which needs to be taken into account in assessing the benefits of treatment.
Biochemical changes in the cholinergic system of the ageing brain and in senile dementia
Authors: Bowen D. M. , Davison A. N. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISLoss of neurons from the ageing human brain is accompanied by reduction in biochemical markers. Compared with age-matched controls about one third of nerve cell components are lost from the temporal lobe of patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer's type. There is marked loss of choline acetyltransferase activity, especially in the hippocampus. This alteration parallels the intensity of neuropathological damage and relates to prior mental impairment. Smaller changes in other neurotransmitter synthesizing enzymes are generally found.
A statistical error in Wood & Cook's (1979) ‘Attentional deficit in the siblings of schizophrenics’
Authors: Millar Keith , Walder Cristine 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISRe-analysis is made of the data from a recent study purporting toshow an attentional deficit in the siblings of schizophrenics when compared with a matched control group. The re-analysis fails to support the previously reported levels of statistical reliability and may question the inferences to be drawn from the study.
Salivary secretion and depressive illness: a physiological and psychometric study
Authors: Noble Peter , Lader Malcolm 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISSalivary secretion was measured in 34 depressed inpatients who were also assessed clinically and psychometrically. Thirty-one of the patients were reassessed two weeks after a course of ECT. Before ECT, diminished salivation was associated with retardation and gastrointestinal somatic symptoms. Overall, the patients' salivary secretion did not change after ECT. More detailed analysis showed that the salivary secretion of the more retarded patients was low before ECT and increased subsequently, whereas that of the least retarded patients was high before ECT and diminished subsequently. It is suggested that the relationship between retardation and salivation may explain some of the divergent results of previous studies.
Conceptual distance indices as measures of alienation in obsessional neurosis
Authors: Makhlouf-Norris F. , Gwynne Jones H. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISA new method for the measurement of alienation is proposed. It is based upon the conceptual distance between people. For each subject, the observed distances between all possible pairs of elements were calculated and compared with the expected distance between two elements drawn at random. The ratios derived in this way were used to examine intra-self alienation and actual self isolation. The obsessional patient is self alienated and isolated. The normal control subject is self and socially integrated.
Relationship between physical and psychiatric disorder
Authors: Eastwood M. R. , Trevelyan M. H. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that there is a positive association between physical and psychiatric disorder. The study was designed to reduce potential sources of bias and the approach included random sampling of a general practice population; independent assessments of the physical and psychiatric states using objective methods and strict criteria for diagnosis; and the use of a control group. The results suggest that the hypothesis is confirmed and furthermore that ‘clustering’ of both types of disorder occurred in some individuals.
Active muscular relaxation in desensitization of phobic patients
Authors: Benjamin S. , Marks I. M. , Huson J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisEight phobic outpatients were treated by six sessions of desensitization followed by exposure or vice versa. Treatment was by visualization of phobic images up a hierarchy for 20 minutes at a time. During desensitization patients were relaxed before and after each image, while during exposure they looked at a neutral slide instead. Skin conductance activity was significantly lower during relaxation than during observation of the neutral slide. The patients, therapist, and a ‘blind’ assessor rated the main phobia as significantly improved for both treatments together. Each of the two treatments contributed similarly to improvement during and after treatment sessions, on measures of main phobia, subjective anxiety, and heart rate. Relaxation training appears to be redundant to the desensitization procedure.
Methysergide in mania: a double-blind comparison with thioridazine
Authors: McNamee H. B. , Poidevin D. Le , Naylor G. J. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISDuring 20 separate illnesses 17 severely disturbed manic patients were given either methysergide or thioridazine in a 21 day double-blind controlled trial. For most of the trial patients received either 9 mg methysergide or 450 mg thioridazine daily; during one 24-hour period 12 mg methysergide or 600 mg thioridazine was administered. Daily clinical assessments were made. Methysergide proved significantly less effective than the phenothiazine.
Clinical and biochemical comparison of clorazepate and diazepam
Authors: Robin Ashley , Curry Stephen H. , Whelpton Robin 
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSISClorazepate and diazepam were compared with respect to clinical effectiveness and concentrations of benzodiazepine compounds in plasma in 15 severely anxious outpatients. Each patient was studied in a double blind trial incorporating two-week periods of the two drugs and of placebo. The doses were almost equimolar—5 mg diazepam or 7·5 mg clorazepate three times daily. Clinical progress was assessed by visual analogue scales and by the Symptom Rating Test. Psychopathology scores were highest at the end of the placebo periods, and lowest at the end of the clorazepate periods, regardless of the order of treatments. After diazepam, both diazepam and N-desmethyldiazepam (nordiazepam) were detected in blood, and after clorazepate, only N-desmethyldiazepam was detected. N-Desmethyldiazepam concentrations were higher after clorazepate. Clinical progress was apparently related to the concentration of N-desmethyldiazepam in plasma.
High first admission rates for schizophrenia in the west of Ireland
Authors: Kelleher M. J. , Copeland J. R. M. , Smith A. J. 
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSISStandardized clinical instruments were used to examine a consecutive series of 89 mental hospital admissions in the west of Ireland and 174 admissions representative of mental hospital admissions in London. The diagnoses given to these patients by the U.S./U.K. Project psychiatrists were compared with diagnoses given the same patients by the hospital psychiatrists in the two countries. Similar levels of agreement were obtained between hospital and Project psychiatrists in the two countries and, where the alcoholic patients were removed, the proportion diagnosed as schizophrenic by the Project in the two samples was identical.
Psychological testing in depressive illness: 2. Perceptual functioning
Authors: Horne D. J. De L. , Gill J. 
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSISOn the Aubert illusion, involving judgement of visual vertical in the absence of visual field cues, depressed patients were shown to display regressive tendencies compared with controls. In fact, their performance was very similar to that of children. However, their performance at judging postural vertical without the use of visual field cues was normal. The impaired performance of the depressed patients was compared with the deficits observed on the same experimental tasks for various other groups of patients with psychiatric or neurological disorders.
Barbiturate tolerance and psychological functioning in elderly depressed patients
Authors: Cawley Robert H. , Post Felix , Whitehead Antonia 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisIncreases in barbiturate tolerance and in scores on certain cognitive tests were found to have occurred after the treatment of elderly depressives. These changes were related to original severity of illness and to the extent of improvement, as well as to a number of other clinical features including age at first attack. The reported findings lent support to theories linking depressive illness with reduction in cortical arousability.
HLA in manic-depressive psychosis
Authors: Wentzel J. , Roberts D. F. , Whalley L. J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisHLA types studied in 113 patients with manic-depressive psychosis did not confirm the previously suggested association with HLA Bw16. No difference was found between unipolar and bipolar manifestations. A possible excess of A10 in patients is of interest, since this antigen binds with psychotropic drugs.
Smoking, personality and reasons for smoking
Authors: McManus I. C. , Weeks S. Jane 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe relationships between smoking, reasons for smoking and personality were investigated in 98 cigarette smokers. Contrary to the usual findings, smoking did not relate to extraversion (E) but related instead to psychoticism (P). It is suggested that this relation is the true one, and previous findings have been due to a contaminated measure of E. Neuroticism (N) was related to the amount smoked, and particularly to a willingness to give reasons for smoking. There was no relation between the Reasons for Smoking Questionnaire, and attempts or success at giving up smoking. Smokers who rolled their own cigarettes were more introverted than others. No measures showed significant relations with the nicotine content of cigarettes
Statistical tests in experimental psychiatric research
Authors: Hand D. J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisIt is pointed out that the subjects used in psychiatric research experiments are usually drawn in such a way as to invalidate many of the commonly applied statistical tests. The necessarily non-statistical component of any inference is noted, and the area where one might hope for an exact statistical inference is identified. A class of tests permitting such inferences is described. Their theoretical and practical advantages are outlined.
Legal and administrative influences on the English suicide rate since 1900
Authors: Jennings C. , Barraclough B 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISWe examined the hypothesis that changes in the suicide rate of England and Wales since 1900 are an artefact of changes in the process of classifying violent deaths. Four potential sources of artefact were considered: (1) the reliability of the procedure for investigating suspected suicides; (2) coding by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys; (3) changes in the law; (4) High Court decisions on suicide. None of these can explain the large observed fluctuations in the suicide rate.
The concepts of disease
Authors: Taylor F. Kräupl 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISConcepts of disease have often been influenced by mediaeval scholasticdoctrines. Today these are best replaced by the premises of modern class logic. One of the basic problems then concerns the universal class of patients. Its solution depends on the answer to the question: What are the distinguishing attributes of this class? Scadding stipulated that these attributes must differ from the norm of a species and be associated with biological disadvantage. This paper argues that these attributes must be abnormal by the standards of a population and/or the norms of an individual, and must be associated with at least one of three criteria: (a) therapeutic concern for himself experienced by a person, (b) such concern for him experienced by his social environment, and (c) medical concern for him. This solution, though based on subjective criteria, seems to tally with the actual practice in diagnosing disease.
Traditionalism and mental health in the South Pacific: a re-examination of an old hypothesis
Authors: Murphy H. B. M. , Taumoepeau B. M. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISNineteenth-century theory held that mental disorder was rare in stable, traditional rural societies. Today most societies are rapidly changing, but Tonga still fits that model and the evidence suggests that the psychoses are genuinely infrequent there. It is proposed that both the theory and the evidence deserve further examination.
Sub-syndromes of tardive dyskinesia
Authors: Kidger T. , Barnes T. R. E. , Trauer T. , Taylor P. J. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISA reliable method for recording the site and duration of purposeless movements was devised. With this method 267 subjects were studied, 182 of whom had been exposed to neuroleptics. The results were submitted to a principal components analysis and 3 movement dimensions emerged. One group of movements resembled a parkinsonian syndrome. The other 2 groups of movements both conformed to the generally accepted criteria for tardive dyskinesia. These groups were: (1) head and neck movements and (2) trunk and limb movements. The possibility of the second and third groups representing clinically relevant sub-syndromes of tardive dyskinesia is discussed.
The possible relationship of herpes simplex virus infection to cause of retardation in severe mental handicap
Authors: Reid A. H. , Martin K. W. , Ballinger B. R. , Heather B. B. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISThe relationship between herpes simplex virus type 1 and mental retardation is explored by studying the antibody levels to this virus in a group of 86 severely and profoundly retarded adults. A tendency towards higher antibody levels is found in patients whose retardation is of unknown aetiology. The relationship of these observations to previous research findings and the possible significance of herpes simplex virus in the aetiology of mental retardation are discussed
Experience with the Bortner questionnaire as a measure of Type A behaviour in a sample of UK families
Authors: Robinson N. , Heller R. F. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISThe self-administered, 14-item Bortner questionnaire was used to characterize the Type A behaviour of the members of a group of families selected from 3 general practice registers. The questionnaire was found to be easy to complete and showed no systematic variation on repeat administration. The rank order of the 14 items was similar in the men, women and children of the study (and in a sample of Belgian men where the Bortner questionnaire had been validated against other measures of Type A behaviour). There was a social class gradient among the men but not among the women or children, and there was no correlation of this behaviour characteristic between parents and their children. This simple questionnaire may thus be an acceptable way of characterizing Type A behaviour which, it is suggested, might develop during adult life in response to occupational experiences.
The metamorphosis of schizophrenia: from chronicity to vulnerability
Authors: Zubin Joseph , Magaziner Jay , Steinhauer Stuart R. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisOn the evidence of long-term follow-up studies of cohorts of patients in Europe the outcome of schizophrenia appears to be changing from chronicity to an episodic course with a more favourable outlook. While the reasons for this change are unclear it is suggested that schizophrenia is characterized essentially by a state of vulnerability to the disorder. This vulnerability may or may not give rise to an episode of illness, depending on the incidence of triggering life event stressors and on the moderating influences of social networks, ecological factors, and premorbid personality. The traditional view of schizophrenia as an essentially chronic condition reflects not so much the natural history of the disorder as iatrogenic influences, lack of satisfactory extra-mural care, the accumulation of a relatively small proportion of truly chronic illnesses and the failure to recognize the termination of an episode of illness in patients with poor premorbid personalities. Evidence for the episodic nature of schizophrenia is presented.
Evaluating a household survey measure of psychic distress
Authors: Mellinder Glen D. , Balter Mitchell B. , Uhlenhuth Eberhard H. , Cisin Ira H. , Manheimer Dean I. , Rickels Karl 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis paper describes a study to assess the validity of a brief household survey measure of psychic distress (PSYDIS). The measure classifies persons according to their pattern of scores on four dimensions, including anxiety and depression. Study subjects were interviewed first respondents from the general population in a cross-sectional household survey. Then, according their ratings on PSYDIS, subsamples were selected for psychiatric evaluation in a clinic a few weeks later. The survey ratings of 287 persons were compared with evaluations of the same persons experienced psychiatrists. Overall levels of concordance ranged from 76% to 80%, depending the psychiatric criterion used. Concordance was very high for women; it was lower for men for persons classified as High on PSYDISWe then applied two analytic strategies for increasing agreement between the clinical judgements and the clinical ratings. Strategy number I augmented the symptom checklist data with additional survey data on the subject's history of episodes of distress. Strategy II revised procedures for constructing the PSYDIS typology by (1) using more rigorous cutting point scores on the component scales, and (2) using a non-typological method of classification. The first strategy improved agreement between the clinic and survey measures; the second did not. The paper also compares PSYDIS with other brief symptom checklist measures.