RESUMEN
Schizophrenic outpatients (62 females, 59 males) were evaluated to examine the relationships between menstrual status, gender, clinical measures of psychopathology and drug side effects. Menstrual status was determined for 55 female patients. Blood from 44 female subjects, drawn before the AM dose of neuroleptic, was assayed for prolactin concentrations. In 27 premenopausal women (age < 45 years), six (22%) reported irregular menses and one (4%) reported amenorrhea. Women with irregular menses did not differ in their prolactin levels or neuroleptic dose, from women with regular menses. Amenorrheic women (n = 22) were significantly older than men (n = 59) and menstruating women (n = 33). After controlling for age, menstruating women did not differ in clinical measures of psychopathology, drug side effects, or neuroleptic dose compared to amenorrheic women or men. Comparison of 15 age-matched pairs of menstruating females and amenorrheic females revealed significantly lower levels of akathisia and depression in the menstruating group and a trend towards lower serum prolactin concentrations (P = 0.08). In female subjects, prolactin levels correlated significantly with neuroleptic dose (r = 0.36, P < 0.005). Our results only partially support hypothesized relationships between menstrual status, prolactin levels and neuroleptic effects and serve to emphasize the importance of controlling for age when comparing these clinical variables.
Asunto(s)
Antipsicóticos/efectos adversos , Ciclo Menstrual/psicología , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Esquizofrenia/diagnóstico , Psicología del Esquizofrénico , Adulto , Amenorrea/psicología , Antipsicóticos/uso terapéutico , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Ciclo Menstrual/efectos de los fármacos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Esquizofrenia/tratamiento farmacológico , Factores SexualesRESUMEN
Structured psychiatric interviews were administered to 60 children with complex partial seizure disorder (CPS), 40 children with primary generalized epilepsy with absences (PGE), and 48 control children, aged 5 to 16 years. Significantly more patients with epilepsy had psychiatric diagnoses compared with the control children. There were no statistically significant differences, however, in the number of patients with CPS and PGE with psychiatric diagnoses. Other than a schizophrenia-like psychosis found only in the patients with CPS, the two groups of patients had similar psychiatric diagnoses. The presence of psychopathology was related to significantly lower IQ scores and socioeconomic status, but not to seizure-related factors. These findings suggest that the psychopathology of children with CPS and PGE reflects different subtle neuropsychological deficits.
Asunto(s)
Epilepsia Tipo Ausencia/psicología , Epilepsia Parcial Compleja/psicología , Epilepsia Generalizada/psicología , Trastornos Mentales/etiología , Adolescente , Niño , Preescolar , Epilepsia Tipo Ausencia/complicaciones , Epilepsia Parcial Compleja/complicaciones , Epilepsia Generalizada/complicaciones , Femenino , Humanos , Incidencia , Inteligencia , Masculino , Trastornos Mentales/epidemiología , Trastornos Psicóticos/epidemiología , Trastornos Psicóticos/etiología , Clase SocialRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: We examined potential early markers of schizophrenia using measures of formal thought disorder in offspring of parents with schizophrenia, other mental illness and no mental illness. METHODS: Two blind raters coded formal thought disorder in adolescent/early adult offspring of 42 schizophrenic, 39 other mental illness, and 36 no mental illness parents. In addition to parental diagnosis, we compared the individual offspring diagnosis with severity of formal thought disorder. Within the schizophrenia, other mental illness and no mental illness offspring groups, we examined the relationship between severity of formal thought disorder and performance on cognitive and motor tasks. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in formal thought disorder by parent or offspring diagnoses. Within the offspring group of parents with schizophrenia, the subjects with higher formal thought disorder scores performed significantly worse on the cognitive battery than those with lower formal thought disorder scores. Offspring of the other mental illness group with higher formal thought disorder scores, however, showed more deficits on motor tasks than those with lower formal thought disorder scores. CONCLUSION: Formal thought disorder may reflect underlying cognitive dysfunction in the offspring of parents with schizophrenia. Motor dysfunction in the offspring of parents with other psychiatric illness might be associated with formal thought disorder.
Asunto(s)
Padres/psicología , Esquizofrenia , Pensamiento , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Psicología del EsquizofrénicoRESUMEN
Investigated the Weigl's diagnostic significance by correlating it with several psychometric and personal variables, including degree of brain dysfunction. Forty-three male, veteran, psychiatric patients were administered the complete WAIS, Hooper, Benton, and Weigl, and their ward psychiatrist estimated presence and degree of brain dysfunction. Although uncorrelated with brain dysfunction, the Weigl did correlate significantly with 13 of the 19 study variables involved in assessment of brain function. Factor-analytic studies showed that the Weigl loaded significantly on the factor associated with neurological function. It was discovered that when a patient who is being screened can perform the conceptual requirements of the Weigl, then additional conceptual-verbal tests (e.g., Similarities) are less useful in discriminating organicity than perceptual tests (e.g., Object Assembly). When a patient cannot shift on the Weigl, then further conceptual tests will be useful.