American Journal of Psychiatry
- Volume 143
- Number 2
- February 1986
Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages131–139Psychiatric units in general hospitals are exempt from diagnosis- related groups (DRGs), a system of per case prospective payment that is used for the majority of patients covered by Medicare. The American Psychiatric Association purchased a large ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.131Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages140–147The association between alcoholism and affective disorders is complex and has fomented much debate. Problems occur because of confusion in definitions (e.g., the distinction between drinking and alcoholism on the one hand and sadness and major affective ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.140Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages148–153The authors surveyed U.S. psychiatrists and psychiatric residents graduating in 1984 about their use and views of DSM-III. Although the majority approved of DSM-III generally, 35% of the psychiatrists and 20% of the residents said they would stop using it ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.148Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages153–157Childhood parental death has frequently been linked with adult mental disorders--mostly depression. The authors found no association with psychiatric diagnosis among 72 inpatients who had experienced the death of a parent when they were children, compared ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.153Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages158–163Discussions of the health consequences of bereavement have appeared with increasing frequency in the literature in recent years. Capitalizing on one of the largest samples of bereaved subjects to date, the authors analyzed National Hospice Study ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.158Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages164–169Psychiatrists are frequently asked to assess the psychiatric complications of personal injury cases for individuals who are seeking damages from third parties as the result of an accident. A selective review of the literature concerning the etiology and ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.164Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages170–174The current debate over the "police powers" versus parens patriae rationales for involuntary hospitalization of the mentally ill underscores the need for empirical study of the process of judicial decision making in civil commitment and determinations of ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.170Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages175–180Using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose and positron emission tomography (PET), the authors examined the regional brain glucose metabolism of six patients with chronic schizophrenia, six patients with chronic depression, and 12 normal control subjects. Three ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.175Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages181–186The authors used the backward-masking procedure to investigate visual information processing in schizophrenic and bipolar patients, determining the critical interstimulus interval at which the masked target could be identified for each subject. Multiple ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.181Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages187–191A survey of 133 senior medical students revealed that noteworthy proportions had used the following psychoactive substances during their lifetime: cigarettes, 44%; alcohol, 96%; marijuana, 57%; amphetamines, 22%; cocaine, 20%; sedatives, 17%; ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.187Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages192–197The resolution of divorce conflict, especially the determination of child custody, is a major social policy concern of both the legal and mental health professions. The differences between the adversarial and mediation legal approaches parallel the ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.192Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages204–207The authors investigated the factors relating to the observation that in a large state hospital, there is an age-related increase in the ratio of patients with a DSM-II diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia to those with a diagnosis of nonparanoid ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.204Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages208–211Among 44 terminally ill patients, the majority (N = 34) had never wished death to come early. Of the remainder, three were or had been suicidal and seven more had desired early death. All 10 patients who had desired death were found to be suffering from ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.208Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages212–215The authors assessed the frequency of schizotypal symptoms in 48 criteria-defined borderline patients. In the total sample schizotypal symptoms were surprisingly common; the average patient had more than seven symptoms and every patient at least one. Even ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.212Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages216–218The authors collected therapists' ratings of 10 masochistic personality traits in 59 patients who were in psychotherapy. The traits were found to be common and to have good internal consistency. These data were presented to the Advisory Committee on ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.216Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages219–221Three cases are described in which digitalis intoxication was misdiagnosed as depression by primary care physicians. The authors discuss the potentially life-threatening consequences of such a misdiagnosis, guidelines for an accurate diagnosis, and the ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.219Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages222–225Although social status has been shown to relate to rates of certain types of psychiatric disorder and to treatment received, little information is available regarding social class and clinical improvement over time. This report presents findings from a ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.222Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages226–229Members of a West Indian Christian sect called the Spiritual Baptists participate in a "mourning" ritual that is characterized by praying, fasting, and the experiencing of dreams and visions while in isolation. Sixteen individuals who underwent mourning ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.226Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages230–232Recent memory correlated inversely with serum anticholinergic levels for verbal recall but not for recognition memory in 17 chronic schizophrenic inpatients taking neuroleptic medications. The results indicate that anticholinergic activity does not impair ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.230Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages232–234In a retrospective follow-up study of 230 psychotic patients treated with haloperidol, the incidence of parkinsonian side effects was greater in patients under 40 than in patients 40 years of age or older.
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.232Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages235–236Alprazolam treatment is effective for panic disorder, but its major disadvantages include possible dependence and withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation. The authors report three cases in which carbamazepine, a clinically effective anticonvulsant ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.235Publication date: 01 February 1986
Pages237–239The authors studied the effects of age, liver function, mean corpuscular volume, and major depression on cortisol concentrations following the dexamethasone suppression test in 31 alcoholics. Only age was significantly correlated with cortisol levels, and ...
https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.143.2.237