bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neuropsychological deficits and CT scan changes in elderly depressives
Authors: Abas Melanie A. , Sahakian Barbara J. , Levy Raymond 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisA number of computerized tests were used to study visual attention, memory and learning in elderly depressed patients. Impairment was found in approximately 70% of depressed patients and was seen particularly in memory and in measures of latency. Depressed patients showed equivalent impairment in short-term memory but less impairment in conditional associative learning compared to a group of patients with early dementia of the Alzheimer-type (DAT), matched for age and pre-morbid IQ. With respect to qualitative differences between depression and DAT, depressed patients showed a different pattern of errors and a consistently prolonged latency of response which was independent of delay in a delayed matching-to-sample test. On recovery from depression, although improvement was seen in most test scores, performance in measures of latency and in a number of tests of memory and learning failed to reach the level seen in a group of matched control subjects and approximately 35% of patients continued to show impairment. For the depressed patients, ventricular brain ratio (VBR) correlated with measures of slowing. In addition, in the ‘recovered-depressives’, VBR correlated with poor performance at high levels of task difficulty. These findings are discussed with respect to previous literature on the pattern of cognitive impairment and CT scan findings in depression.
Sampling strategy in linkage studies of affective disorders
Authors: Leboyer M. , Babron M. C. , Clerget-Darpoux F. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisEvidence of linkage in families of bipolar patients has so far been identified with genetic markers on chromosome X and 11. However, replications of these data have not consistently been reported in either case, which favours the hypothesis of genetic heterogeneity. Therefore, we have tried to outline a sampling strategy for linkage replication in affective disorders. We estimated the average number of nuclear families required to replicate X or 11 linkage as a function of the degree of heterogeneity as well as the number to prove heterogeneity given that linkage exists. The results are presented and discussed.
A contribution of fluorescent lighting to agoraphobia
Authors: Hazell Jane , Wilkins Arnold J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisUnder three types of artificial lighting 24 women with chronic agoraphobia and 24 female control subjects assessed their mood and bodily symptoms, and their heart rate was measured. One of the three types of lighting was incandescent. The other two were fluorescent, one pulsating in the conventional manner 100 times per second and the other relatively steady. Both were provided by a single fluorescent lamp controlled from one of two circuits. When exposed to the conventional pulsating fluorescent light under double-blind conditions the agoraphobic group showed a higher heart rate and reported more anomalous visual effects in response to an epileptogenic pattern. Control subjects reported more bodily symptoms under the conventional fluorescent light than under the two other lighting conditions.
Psychological treatment for atypical non-cardiac chest pain: a controlled evaluation
Authors: Klimes I. , Mayou R. A. , Pearce M. J. , Coles L. , Fagg J. R. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThirty-one patients with atypical non-cardiac chest pain which had persisted despite negative medical investigation were treated in a controlled trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy. The average duration of pain was 4·7 years. Patients were randomized to either immediate treatment or as a control to assessment only. Treatment involved teaching patients how to anticipate and control symptoms, and modification of inappropriate health beliefs. The average number of sessions given was 7·2. There were significant reductions in chest pain, limitations and disruption of daily life, autonomic symptoms, distress and psychological morbidity in the treated group as compared with the control group who were unchanged. The assessment-only group were treated subsequently and showed comparable changes. Improvements were fully maintained by both treated groups at four to six-months follow-up.
Perceived parental rearing style, parental divorce and transsexualism: a controlled study
Authors: Cohen-Kettenis Peggy T. , Arrindell Willem A. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe parental representations of male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals were rated using the EMBU inventory. Scores on the measure were compared against ratings returned by controls of similar biological sex, matched on age, educational level and number of female siblings in an ANCOVA design. In line with previous findings by Parker & Barr (1982), who studied male-to-female transsexuals only, these patients were found not to differ from the male controls in their scoring of their mothers, but did score their fathers as less emotionally warm, more rejecting and more protective. Extending the findings by Parker & Barr (1982), female-to-male transsexuals rated both parents as more rejecting and less emotionally warm, but only their mothers as more protective than their female control equivalents rated theirs. Parental divorce distinguished both patient groups from controls, although further analyses revealed this not to imply more parental absence in patients than in controls. Male and female transsexuals differed from each other in some respects (e.g. lower scores on parental emotional warmth and higher scores on maternal rejection for the female patients), while being comparable in other respects (e.g. parental divorce).
Lycanthropy and demonomania: some psychopathological issues
Authors: Koehler K. , Ebel H. , Vartzopoulos D. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisModern reports on lycanthropy mainly concentrate on the content of patients' beliefs in being transformed into an animal. By contrast, an interest in the form of the symptomatology is usually minimal. This paper draws on Karl Jaspers' phenomenological views and focuses on some important albeit neglected psychopathological issues related to form which are relevant to any comprehensive consideration of lycanthropic phenomena.
Hypertension labelling, life events and psychological well-being
Authors: Moum Torbjørn , Næss Siri , Sørensen Tom , Tambs Kristian , Holmen Jostein 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisAlmost all previous studies of the psychological sequelae of hypertension labelling have lacked a prospective, longitudinal design which could allow for causal interpretations. The present study relies on questionnaire data from a hypertension screening carried out on the entire adult population of a medium-sized, Norwegian county (total number of participants = 74977). ‘Labelled’ individuals, i.e. previously unaware hypertensives (N = 173), false positives (N = 233), and patients in need of continued BP control (N = 474) have been followed up after 1–3 years, and comparisons are made with aware hypertensives (N = 206), patients previously treated for hypertension (N = 118), and a random sample of normotensives (N = 2326). ‘Pre-labelling’, baseline measures of subjective well-being had been carried out on all comparison groups in connection with the screening. Changes in psychological well-being are not significantly related to labelling or BP-status. However, there is a deterioration in psychological well-being among participants who have been subjected to one or more negative life events/stresses (other than labelling) in the preceding 12 months.
Prevalence of three bulimia syndromes in the general population
Authors: Bushnell John A. , Wells J. Elisabeth , Hornblow Andrew R. , Oakley-Browne Mark A. , Joyce Peter 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisPrevalence of bulimia was estimated from a cross-sectional general population survey of 1498 adults, using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) administered by trained lay interviewers. Lifetime prevalence of the DSM-III syndrome in adults aged 18–64 was 1·0% and this was concentrated in young women: in women aged 18–44 lifetime prevalence was 2·6%, and 1·0% currently had the disorder. Based on clinicians' reinterviews of random respondents and identified and marginal cases, the prevalence of current disorder using criteria for draft DSM-III-R bulimia was 0·5%, for DSM-III it was 0·2%, and for Russell's Criteria bulimia nervosa 0·0%. A strong cohort effect was found, with higher lifetime prevalence among younger women, which is consistent with a growing incidence of the disorder among young women in recent years. Although elements of the syndromes were so common as to suggest that dysfunctional attitudes to eating and disturbed behaviour surrounding eating are widespread, there was little evidence of the bulimia syndrome having become an epidemic on the scale suggested by early reports.
Patterns of neuropsychological deficit in alcoholic Korsakoff's Syndrome
Authors: Jacobson R. R. , Acker C. F. , Lishman W. A. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisTwenty-five male and 13 female patients with alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome (AKS) were compared with age- and sex-matched non-Korsakoff chronic alcoholics and healthy volunteers in a neuropsychological study, which included computer-administered tests of cognitive function. The performance of male Korsakoff patients was significantly inferior to that of healthy male controls, not only in tests of memory, but also in visuo-perceptual tasks with a speed or motor component, and on category sorting and verbal fluency measures. Compared with male alcoholics, the performance of male Korsakoff patients was again inferior on similar tests. Female Korsakoff patients showed more extensive deficits compared with female controls, but differed less from matched female alcoholics.The results suggest that, in addition to their amnesia, many Korsakoff patients have sustained widespread cognitive deficits, affecting particularly visuo-perceptual and abstracting functions, which are sensitive to cortical lesions. The range of deficits falls short of what may be regarded as ‘global’ in male, but probably not in female, Korsakoffs. The implications for a dual aetiology of AKS involving thiamine deficiency and other features associated with alcoholism, probably direct alcohol neurotoxicity, are discussed.
Whakama: culturally determined behaviour in the New Zealand Maori
Authors: Sachdev Perminder S. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisWhakama is a psychosocial and behavioural construct in the New Zealand Maori which does not have any exact equivalent in Western societies although shame, self-abasement, feeling inferior, inadequate and with self-doubt, shyness, excessive modesty and withdrawal describe some aspects of the concept. It is an important construct in order to understand the interaction of the Maori with each other and with the Caucasian New Zealander, the behaviour of the Maori in cross-cultural settings, and the clinical presentations of some Maori patients. This paper examines some of the meanings of Whakama, its various behavioural manifestations and its possible causes. The clinical relevance to psychiatry is emphasized.Waiho ma te whakama e patu!‘ Leave him alone he is punished by whakama ’ (Maori saying)
General practice aspects of self-poisoning and self-injury
Authors: Hawton Keith , Blackstock Eileen 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisA sample of individuals who had carried out acts of self-poisoning or self-injury were interviewed and information was also obtained from their general practitioners. More of both the men and the women had visited their general practitioners in the year before the acts than would have been predicted from national statistics, although this was not found to the same extent for persons aged 16–24. Thirty-six per cent of the sample had contacted their general practitioners during the week before the act and over 60% in the month beforehand. Sixty-three per cent had visited them for a variety of psychiatric and social reasons during the preceding year and had nearly all been prescribed psychotropic drugs, usually tranquillizers or sedatives. These were commonly the drugs taken in acts of self-poisoning. Methods of prevention are discussed.
Systematic self-assessment by P.Q.R.S.T.
Authors: Mulhall David J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis paper presents a Personal Questionnaire which is sufficiently simple for use in most clinical settings. Following a brief description of Personal Questionnaires, their origin and background are discussed and some subsequent developments delineated. The method involves the use of a general set of adjectives which can be used to qualify the symptoms experienced by any given patient. Successive measurements of the symptoms can be made so that changes in their subjective intensity can be monitored. The internal consistency of ratings of each symptom on each occasion is used as a measure of reliability. As with all previous Personal Questionnaires the symptoms which are measured are unique to the individual, but unlike other methods the format of this Questionnaire is predetermined, which ensures its simplicity and ease of use.
Comparative trial of L-tryptophan and amitriptyline in depressive illness
Authors: Herrington R. N. , Bruce A. , Johnstone E. C. , Lader M. H. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisDepressed patients who were suitable for drug treatment were allocated randomly to treatment for four weeks with either amitriptyline in doses reaching 150 mg daily or with l-tryptophan in a maximal dose of 8 G daily. Both in-patients and out-patients were included. The trial was double-blind and ratings were made at the start of treatment and weekly for the subsequent four weeks: the patients were then followed for a further six months. Both groups of patients improved steadily over the course of four weeks and there were no marked differences between the treatment groups though there was some tendency for the improvement of the tryptophan-treated patients to fade between the third and fourth weeks. Within the tryptophan group anxious patients improved least. It is concluded that L-tryptophan probably has some antidepressive action in patients with depressive illness of moderate severity.
Drug response and psychiatric nosology
Authors: Murray Robin M. , Murphy Dennis L. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe possibility that pharmacological response might help to refine psychiatric nosology has been the subject of recurrent speculation, but few clear-cut results have been obtained. Only bipolar depressives and several other minor patient subgroups manifest consistent drug responses in association with characteristic psychobiological features. The presence of multiple intervening variables, such as individual differences in drug metabolism, drug-taking behaviour and biological sensitivity to drugs, may mitigate against the reliable identification of clinically distinguishable drugresponding subgroups. Furthermore, the majority of available psychoactive drugs have either multiple or broad spectrum effects inconsistent with hypotheses utilizing the mechanism or site of drug action to argue for a diagnosis-specific biological disorder at such sites.Nonetheless the successful use of drug-response models in other areas of medicine suggests a rationale for continued exploration in this area, and a number of recent advances make this approach potentially more productive. Pharmacological developments have rendered it possible to assess the biological availability of drugs in potential responders, thus eliminating some of the confounding intervening variables. Further consideration should also be given to the use of drugs with more specific neurochemical effects, even when they themselves are not necessarily therapeutic. The comparison of drug responder and non-responder groups has also been made more meaningful by the availability of more reliable methods of assessing clinical phenomena, more sophisticated diagnostic models and the introduction of other biological measures. Combining several of these approaches may allow the use of one to validate the other.
Physical ill-health and psychotropic drug prescription – a review
Authors: Williams Paul 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis review collates evidence of substantial physical morbidity in patients who receive psychotropic drugs, and evidence that these drugs are not infrequently prescribed for patients with known physical illness. Minor tranquillizers are the psychotropic drugs most commonly prescribed, and the category of physical illness most likely to be associated with psychotropic medication is cardiovascular disease.
Previous induced abortion and ante-natal depression in primiparae: preliminary report of a survey of mental health in pregnancy
Authors: Kumar R. , Robson Kay 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisOne hundred and nineteen primiparae, who were routinely attending ante-natal clinics, were interviewed repeatedly between the 12th and 36th weeks of their pregnancies. The incidence of depression was highest in the first trimester and, overall, about a fifth of the sample was found to be suffering from clinically significant neurotic disturbances. In a proportion of these expectant mothers there was an association between depression and anxiety early in pregnancy and a previous history of induced abortion; this phenomenon may reflect a reactivation of mourning which was previously suppressed.
The changing profile of a nineteenth-century asylum: the York Retreat
Authors: Digby Anne 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis paper focuses on the later history of the York Retreat after the initial period for which it is best known. It discusses the marked changes which occurred in the social composition of its patients and the way in which these changes modified the asylum's management and therapy. It argues that the conventional image of the Retreat, based as it is on the institution's earliest years, needs considerable revision.
Endocrine changes and clinical profiles in depression: I. The dexamethasone suppression test
Authors: Calloway S. P. , Dolan R. J. , Fonagy P. , De Souza V. F. A. , Wakeling A. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisHypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function was investigated in 72 patients with primary depression. Forty-four per cent of the patients demonstrated abnormal suppression of their cortisol levels after a 1 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test. Patients with abnormal suppression (‘non-suppressors’) were not clearly distinguished from ‘suppressors’ by the commonly used diagnostic classifications. They did not appear to be more severely depressed, but they were more likely than the ‘suppressors’ to be in-patients. Multivariate analysis of the data suggested that two clinical features were independently associated with non-suppression: the PSE syndromes of Slowness and General Anxiety. However, the association of these syndromes with non-suppression was relatively weak, indicating that the clinical significance of the dexamethasone suppression test is, as yet, unclear. The results raise doubts about the validity of using the dexamethasone suppression test as a diagnostic marker for a specific depressive syndrome.
Genetic and environmental influences on obsessional traits and symptoms
Authors: Clifford C. A. , Murray R. M. , Fulker D. W. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisA biometrical genetic analysis was carried out on the response of 419 pairs of twins to the 42-item version of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory. Just under half the variation in both the Obsessional Trait and Symptom Scales was due to heredity. Multivariate analysis revealed a genetic effect on the development of obsessional personality and also the transmission of a general tendency predisposing to neurotic breakdown. Although the influence of heredity was outweighed by that of the environment, the latter effect showed an absence of general factors and, in particular, of any noticeable effect from the common home environment.
Bronchial asthma: lack of relationships between allergic factors, illness severity and psychosocial variables in adult patients attending an asthma clinic
Authors: Spittle Bruce J. , Sears Malcolm R. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe relationships between illness severity, allergy as indicated by serum total immunoglobulin E, and various psychological and social factors were studied in 66 adult asthmatics. No substantial relationships were found between these factors. An earlier onset of illness before 3 years was associated with a higher serum IgE. These results do not support the commonly held concept that asthma is a ‘psychosomatic’ disorder.
Blunting of neuroendocrine responses to infusion of L-tryptophan in women with perimenstrual mood change
Authors: Bancroft John , Cook Ann , Davidson David , Bennie John , Goodwin Guy 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISThe neuroendocrine response to L-tryptophan infusion was measured at two stages of the menstrual cycle, premenstrually and postmenstrually, in 13 women with and 13 women without premenstrual depression (the MC and NMC groups respectively). Previous studies have shown that in non-depressed women, this challenge test results in an increase in circulating prolactin and growth hormone. In depressed women both responses are blunted. In this study the growth hormone and cortisol responses were smaller in the MC group than the NMC group on both occasions. The prolactin response was blunted premenstrually compared with postmenstrually in both groups. These findings suggest that women who experience premenstrual depression may have neuroendocrine abnormalities throughout the cycle. The neurotransmitter abnormalities reflected in these altered endocrine responses appear to interact with neuroendocrine changes that normally occur premenstrually resulting in a vulnerability to depression at that phase of the cycle.
A further exploration of the relationships between immune parameters and the HPA-axis activity in depressed patients
Authors: Maes M. , Bosmans E. , Suy E. , Minner B. , Raus J. 
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSISIn order to investigate the relationship between the immune apparatus and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA)-axis activity in depressed patients, we measuredin vitrolymphocyte responses to the mitogens Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), Pokeweed (PWM) and Concanavalin A (Con A) and 8 a.m. baseline cortisol values in plasma, free cortisol excretion in 24 h urine (UFC), basal and post-dexamethasone βendorphin values. Major depressed patients with melancholia/psychotic features exhibited a significantly lower mitogen-induced blast transformation as compared to minor and simple major depressed patients. The lymphocyte responses to the three mitogens were significantly inversely related to baseline cortisol values and postdexamethasone β-endorphin values. The proliferative capacity of lymphocytes to stimulation with PHA and PWM was significantly and positively related to UFC excretion. Up to 45% of the variance in the immune responses to the mitogens was explained by the baseline cortisol, post-dexamethasone β-endorphin and UFC values.