bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Goldney Robert , Bowes Julia , Spence Neil , Czechowicz Andrew , Hurley Rod 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe first three and a half years' operation of a psychiatric intensive care unit, based on the general hospital model, is described. This eight-bedded ward focusses on the treatment of the most acutely psychiatrically ill patients, and not on the forensic or custodial aspects of such units previously described. It has gained general acceptance within the setting of a state psychiatric hospital, and has received 1132 admissions since its inception. Demographic, clinical, and treatment data are presented and the advantages and disadvantages of the unit are discussed.
Chronicity and the General Health Questionnaire
Authors: Goodchild M. E. , Duncan-Jones Paul 
Published: August 2008

SummaryWe propose a new scoring for Goldberg's (1972) General Health Questionnaire. We argue that the response ‘no more than usual’, to an item describing pathology, should be treated as an indicator of chronic illness rather than of good health, and we score these responses accordingly. We give evidence that this set of responses is associated with other measures of neurotic illness, and that the revised scoring provides a better prediction of caseness than the conventional scoring. The revised scoring is more strongly associated with trait neuroticism, and is more stable in repeated measurement. It is recommended in preference to the conventional scoring for most research and epidemiological purposes.
The Impact of Lithium in South-West Scotland II. A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Morrison D. P. , Mccreadie R. G. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryIn a longitudinal study in South-west Scotland of patients suffering mainly from affective illness, the introduction of lithium as prophylactic therapy was associated with a significant reduction in the number and length of hospital in-patient admissions, as well as in the number of courses and total number of electro-convulsive treatments. However, there was no significant reduction in the length of time patients received either antidepressants or major tranquillisers. A rating of individual patients suggested that a bare majority (52%) had improved considerably following the introduction of lithium.
Academic Difficulty among Male Egyptian University Students
Authors: Okasha A. , Kamel M. , Khalil A. H. , Sadek A. , Ashour A. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryA survey was made of academic difficulties among undergraduate students at Ain Shams University, Cairo, during the academic year 1979–1980. Almost 6% of students dropped out before graduating and a further 8% required substantial extra time to complete their course of study: these figures were almost identical for both sexes. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed in 42% of male students with academic problems (compared with 9% among the academically successful), with neuroses accounting for nearly half of the cases and schizophrenia for a quarter. Serious psychiatric illness was nearly four times as frequent among 3rd-year students as among 1st-year students.
Suppression of Eating by Fenfluramine in Patients with Bulimia Nervosa
Authors: Robinson P. H. , Checkley S. A. , Russell G. F. M. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryFifteen patients with bulimia nervosa received fenfluramine (60 mg po) or placebo under double-blind, randomly ordered conditions. Two hours later food was presented. Significantly less food was eaten after fenfluramine and the quantity eaten was inversely correlated with serum fenfluramine levels. Significantly fewer patients reported bulimic symptoms during the test after fenfluramine, but no significant effect was demonstrated after leaving the ward. Fenfluramine caused drowsiness but did not reduce hunger ratings. Similarly, eating failed to reduce hunger ratings normally in the patients. These findings suggest that in patients with bulimia nervosa, hunger is reported abnormally and eating is suppressed by fenfluramine. Bulimic symptoms were probably reduced by fenfluramine, which may prove to be a useful treatment for bulimia nervosa.
Why Teetotallers Abstain
Authors: Hughes Jennifer , Stewart Murray , Barraclough Brian 
Published: August 2008

SummaryDrinking practices and attitudes to alcohol among the members of a Southampton church were investigated by questionnaire (602 subjects) and by interviews (126 subjects). Teetotallers were older than drinkers, and included a higher proportion of women. They perceived their childhood upbringing and the teaching of the Bible as the main factors influencing them to abstain. Both teetotallism and alcoholism were more common among relatives of teetotallers than among relatives of social drinkers.
Attempted Infanticide
Authors: Wilkins A. J. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe offence of attempted infanticide has hitherto been unknown in English Law. A case is here described in which a woman was convicted of infanticide, and attempted infanticide, having been charged with murder and attempted murder. The relevance of this is discussed, together with an aspect of infanticide previously unreported in the English literature, i.e. repetition of the offence.
Schizophrenia with Good and Poor Outcome. I: Early Clinical Features, Response to Neuroleptics and Signs of Organic Dysfunction
Authors: Kolakowska T. , Williams A. O. , Ardern M. , Reveley M. A. , Jambor K. , Gelder M. G. , Mandelbrote B. M. 
Published: August 2008

SummarySeventy-seven patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia (62) or schizoaffective disorder (15) were studied 2–20 years since onset of illness, when in a stable condition. The investigation included clinical assessment, measurement of plasma concentrations of neuroleptics and prolactin, computed tomography brain scan, neuropsychological and neurological examination. Outcome of illness was classified according to the presence of chronic psychiatric symptoms and social impairment, and response to neuroleptics according to the effect of treatment in the most recent psychotic episode. Neither outcome nor response to neuroleptics was related to duration of illness. The groups with good and poor outcome differed in premorbid adjustment, age at onset and symptoms of the initial episode, but not in drug bio-availability or prolactin response. Large cerebral ventricles and cognitive impairment, but not neurological ‘soft’ signs, were associated with unfavourable outcome. The three measures of organicity were not inter-related. No clinical differences were found between chronic patients with and without signs of organic dysfunction. The findings suggest that schizophrenia with good and unfavourable outcome may be separate sub-types. However, the role of organic factors in the latter group remains unclear.
The Denial of the Institution
Authors: Papeschi Raffaello 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe writings of Franco Basaglia are critically reviewed, both from a technical psychiatric point of view and from a general political and social one. Basaglia maintained that the causes of psychiatric disorder are essentially social in nature, and that the only valid treatments are political struggle and the revival of the patient's aggressiveness. Therefore, no institution can be therapeutic for the patient, since its aim must be his custody and violent destruction. These statements are considered in the light of the need for institutions which are a therapeutic alternative to the mental hospital. Basaglia's ‘liberal’ defence of the individual against society is analysed, in relation to the negative consequences that the Italian Law 180 of 1978 is having on the care of long-term psychiatric patients. This law ‘forgot’ such patients, as well as adversely affecting the treatment of acute patients, for whom an insufficient number of psychiatric beds was permitted in general hospitals. A revision is proposed of Law 180 that would make possible the setting up of alternative institutions to outdated mental hospitals, but at the same time allow a transformation of their old structures.
Eating Disorders in Schizophrenia
Authors: Lyketsos G. C. , Paterakis P. , Beis A. , Lyketsos C. G. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryAn investigation of eating disorders in a population of chronic schizophrenic patients confirmed that there is a distinction between eating disorders of psychotics and eating disorders of the young. All the DSM-III criteria of eating disorders, except one, were observed among the psychotics although no patient fulfilled the necessary criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis except for one anorexic woman. All varieties of schizophrenic eating disorder were reported: in two-fifths of the patients eating disorders were associated with delusions and in one sixth with hallucinations; more than half of the patients had deviant eating behaviour which was not associated with any thought or perceptual disorders. Schizophrenic eating disorders were common, yet not disturbing to the social life of the open mental hospital or to that of the community surrounding it.
Does the Dexamethasone Suppression Test Predict Antidepressant Treatment Success?
Authors: Coppen Alec , Milln Philip , Harwood Janet , Wood Keith 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was carried out in patients with a major depressive illness in order to establish whether the results of this test, given before antidepressant or ECT treatment, could predict eventual therapeutic outcome. No significant difference could be detected in overall therapeutic improvement between those patients with a normal or abnormal DST response respectively, based on the 50 ng/ml cortisol cut-off point. However, using 100 ng/ml as a cut-off point it was found that patients with an abnormal DST response (i.e. a post-DST plasma cortisol concentration ⩾ 100 ng/ml) responded significantly better than those who had a normal DST response. These observations were statistically significant for those patients receiving antidepressants and in the combined treatment groups of those patients receiving either antidepressants or ECT.
The Aftercare of the Patient with the Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
Authors: Aizenberg Dov , Shalev Arieh , Munitz Hanan 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is an idiosyncratic reaction to neuroleptic drugs, made up of hyperthermia, muscular rigidity, disturbance of level of consciousness and autonomic dysfunction. It is potentially lethal and should be kept in mind whilst using anti-psychotic drugs; as most patients treated by them require further anti-psychotic treatment, the clinician faces the problem of treating those patients after a NMS episode, yet reports in the literature have generally neglected the problem of late management. A patient suffering from a psychosis and NMS is presented, and a rationale for management offered.
A Mechanism to Inhibit Input Activation and its Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
Authors: Johnson J. David 
Published: August 2008

SummarySchizophrenics appear to be unable to regulate adequately the effects of external stimulation, but the cause of this deficit is unclear. Recent evidence suggests that input activation can normally be inhibited by an appropriate leading or conditioning stimulus; such inhibition has been found to be diminished in schizophrenics. Based on this evidence, a feed-forward regulating mechanism that serves to stabilise reactivity to environmental events is described; it is hypothesised that failure of the mechanism to inhibit adequately surges of activity is an underlying cause of schizophrenic symptoms. Some ways to test the validity of the mechanism are proposed, and an outline presented of steps to link the mechanism's dysfunction to schizophrenia.
British Opiate Addicts: An 11-Year Follow-up
Authors: Cottrell David , Childs-Clarke Adrian , Ghodse A. Hamid 
Published: August 2008

SummaryA cohort of 83 British addicts from one clinic was followed-up after 11 years; Home Office records and medical notes were personally searched to trace current status. Twenty-nine were still using drugs, 37 were not known to be using drugs, and 17 had died. The group still using drugs had become markedly more stable on parameters of drug use, criminality, and social stability over the follow-up period.
I. Course of Illness, Stability of Diagnosis, and the Role of a Special Maintenance Clinic
Authors: Curson D. A. , Barnes T. R. E. , Bamber R. W. , Piatt S. D. , Hirsch S. R. , Duffy J. C. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryA follow-up study of all patients entering the MRC double-blind trial of fluphenazine decanoate in chronic schizophrenic out-patients achieved a trace rate of 94%. In general, these patients were severely disabled, continued under the care of the maintenance clinic, and their diagnoses remained remarkably consistent; more than one-fifth were found to be in acute schizophrenic relapse and in over a half of these cases, the relapse was not known to the treatment agency. The maintenance clinic attenders were little different from those who no longer used such a facility.
The Risk of Child Abuse among Mothers who Attempt Suicide
Authors: Hawton Keith , Roberts Jacqueline , Goodwin Guy 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe association between parental attempted suicide and child abuse was investigated in 114 mothers with children aged five years and under, referred to a general hospital following suicide attempts. The risk was greatly increased in the attempted suicide mothers, compared with both similar mothers at risk for depression and general population control mothers; well-documented risk of child abuse was identified in 29.8% of those who attempted suicide. No major differences were found between the attempted suicide mothers whose children were at risk and those whose children were not at risk. During the general hospital assessment of mothers with young children who attempt suicide, careful enquiry concerning the relationship with the children is essential
Plasma Cortisol Levels in Mania: Associated Clinical Ratings and Changes during Treatment with Haloperidol
Authors: Cookson J. C. , Silverstone T. , William S. , Besser G. M. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryPlasma Cortisol levels were elevated in a large proportion of samples from manic patients. Although a correlation was found between clinical ratings of the severity of mania and the degree of elevation of daytime Cortisol levels, some patients with low clinical ratings had elevated Cortisol levels. During treatment with haloperidol, Cortisol levels returned to normal earlier that the clinical state. The underlying mechanisms are discussed.
An Evaluation of Alprazolam in the Treatment of Reactive or Neurotic (Secondary) Depression
Authors: Imlah Norman William 
Published: August 2008

SummaryTo investigate the effectiveness of a new benzodiazepine, alprazolam, and to compare this with amitriptyline (AMT) and with placebo, a trial was undertaken in 65 patients in whom depression was considered to be the dominating feature but not considered to be the primary cause of their condition; it was designed to exclude endogenous depressions. A consistent pattern was found favouring alprazolam over AMT both in rate of response and in total response, as well as significant differences in favour of both alprazolam and AMT over placebo. A comparison of side effects showed a definite trend in favour of alprazolam and placebo over AMT.
Motor and Sighting Dominance in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorder
Authors: Merrin Edward L. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryUnusually frequent sinistral motor and sighting dominance have sometimes been reported in schizophrenics, although the majority of patients are still dextral. In this study, assessment of lateral dominance also included a measure of grip strength—a potentially more sensitive index of dominance or lateralised impairment; schizophrenics, non-schizophrenic patients (affective disorder), and normal controls were studied. There were no differences in handedness or sighting dominance. Affective patients, particularly bipolar psychotics, had greater right-handed grip superiority than normals or non-paranoid schizophrenics. Paranoid schizophrenics were similar, being significantly greater in right-sided dominance than non-paranoids, who tended toward a smaller value than normals. Hand grip asymmetry was highly correlated with handedness in normals, but not in patients. The possibility is discussed that these results may reflect asymmetrical patterns of cerebral impairment or attentional bias.
Postnatal Depression and Child Development
Authors: Wrate R. M. , Rooney A. C. , Thomas P. F. , Cox J. L. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThis study investigates whether three-year-old children whose mothers had been depressed after their birth showed more behaviour disturbance than children of mothers who were not depressed at that time. Ninety-one of 103 mothers who took part in an earlier prospective study of postnatal depression were reinterviewed three years later to determine their present mental state, and to assess their child's behaviour, using Richman's Behavioural Screening Questionnaire.No relationship was found between a prolonged postnatal depression and behaviour disturbance in the child, but children whose mothers had brief postnatal depressive episodes showed more behaviour disturbance than those whose mothers had not been depressed since childbirth.
Adrenergic Receptors in Depression
Authors: Cooper Stephen J. , Kelly John G. , King David J. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryPlatelet α2-and lymphocyte ß2-adrenoceptor densities, plasma noradrenaline and serum Cortisol were measured before, during and one week after a course of EEG-monitored electroconvulsive therapy, in nine depressed patients. A 50% fall in Hamilton Depression Rating scores occurred after a fairly consistent total seizure time, regardless of the amount of ECT given. Platelet α2-adrenoceptor densities showed a statistically significant fall after three ECTs, but were unchanged after the full course of ECT and were independent of clinical change. Lymphocyte ß2-adrenoceptor densities were unaltered. Plasma noradrenaline concentrations were initially high, and fell with ECT in a manner paralleling clinical recovery. Plasma noradrenaline may be a more useful index of central changes during antidepressant treatment than peripheral blood cell receptor densities.
ECT, Blood Pressure Changes and Neuropsychological Deficit
Authors: Taylor John R. , Kuhlengel Barbara G. , Dean Raymond S. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryTwenty psychiatric in-patients were studied before and after five bilateral electroconvulsive treatments for major depression. There were significant memory and neuropsychological changes after treatment, and significant reductions in depression rating scores, but they did not correlate with various measures of blood pressure elevation during treatment. The importance of ECT-related amnesia is discussed.
Sex Concordance for Schizophrenia in Proband-relative Pairs
Authors: Sturt Elizabeth , Shur Eric 
Published: August 2008

SummarySome hypotheses about the cause of schizophrenia are based on the puzzling tendency for mental illness to affect the same sex when two close relatives become psychiatrically ill. Sex-concordance rates were examined in 71 schizophrenic probands, who had at least one first-degree relative suffering from the same disorder, in order to test this tendency in a population of recently admitted patients. No unusual concordance rates were found when unaffected sibs were taken into account and relatives were stratified to take account of possible confounding factors. It would seem premature to construct hypotheses about the aetiology of schizophrenia based on evidence of this type.
A Twin study of Individuals with both Schizophrenia and Alcoholism
Authors: Kendler Kenneth S. 
Published: August 2008

SummarySubstantial evidence suggests that genetic factors contribute to the aetiology of both schizophrenia and alcoholism, when they occur alone. To examine the role of genetic factors in schizophrenia and alcoholism when they occur together in the same individual, the frequency of both conditions was investigated in the co-twins of 34 monozygotic (MZ) and 47 dizygotic (DZ) index twins with a diagnosis of both schizophrenia and alcoholism. Both disorders alone were significantly more common in the MZ than in the DZ co-twins, suggesting that individuals suffering from schizophrenia and alcoholism have a genetic predisposition to both disorders, which is of the same nature as that which causes the two when they occur alone. In the co-twins of the MZ index twins, the diagnoses of schizophrenia and alcoholism were uncorrelated, indicating that the specific environmental factors of causal importance in the two disorders are not closely related.
Interpreting Data in Aetiological Studies of Affective Disorder: Some Pitfalls and Ambiguities
Authors: Harris Tirrill O. , Brown George W. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryAlthough recent research in social psychiatry has produced an encouraging congruence of findings and conclusions, puzzling inconsistencies continue to be reported. One explanation which is often overlooked is that subtle differences in the way seemingly identical variables are grouped can produce sizeable, and sometimes dramatic, differences in the patterning of the same data. Re-examination of existing results can therefore often better clarify confusing inconsistencies than collection of new data. This is illustrated by examples from recent studies of affective disorder where the grouping of variables is discussed in three broad areas: parental loss in childhood, precipitating stress, and social support. Until the aetiology of affective disorder is more fully understood, it will often be clearer if data are analysed more than once, so that several combinations of variables are systematically examined.
Therapeutic Manipulation of Nightmares and the Management of Neuroses
Authors: Bishay N. 
Published: August 2008

SummarySeven cases of nightmare were treated by simple rehearsal of the nightmare and/or rehearsal with an altered ending, followed by earlier introduction of the ending. One-year follow-up of five patients showed complete relief from nightmares in the four patients who achieved early introduction of a ‘masterful’ ending, and marked improvement in the patient who could only imagine a neutral ending. All but one of the patients also presented with neurotic symptoms (anxiety, phobias, depression and compulsion/obsession). These were treated by rational discussion and the formulation of positive ‘threat-eliminating’ statements to be repeated as homework and in times of stress.
Presbyophrenia: Clinical Aspects
Authors: Berrios G. E. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryFifteen cases meeting the diagnostic criteria for presbyophrenia are reported and compared with a control sample of patients suffering from dementia. The presbyophrenic patients exhibited more elevated mood, more hyperactivity, more disorientation, and had lower information scores than the controls. Traditional explanations of ‘presbyophrenic behaviour’ such as delirium, pathoplastic effect of personality, or superimposed cerebrovascular disease are not adequate. Instead, presbyophrenia may constitute a sub-type of dementia characterised by severe atrophy of the locus coeruleus, marked impairment of noradrenergic transmission, and uninhibited behaviour.
Genetic Counselling for Schizophrenia
Authors: Reveley Adrianne 
Published: August 2008

SummaryIt is possible that genes contributing to the development of schizophrenia may be identified within the next decade. Genetic methods are improving rapidly, and are surrounded by great public interest. Requests for genetic counselling are keeping pace with this increased attention, but the problems faced by psychiatric genetic counsellors are complex, and the experience of offering such counselling and the issues involved are rarely discussed. In this context the paper describes a year's work counselling for schizophrenia in the Maudsley Hospital Genetic Clinic.