American Journal of Psychiatry

Hayward, C; Taylor, CB; Roth, WT; King, R; Agras, WS

doi: N/Apmid: 2742017

Plasma lipids were measured in 102 subjects with panic disorder or agoraphobia. In women, but not men, a significantly higher than expected number of subjects had cholesterol values that exceeded the 75th percentile

Chuang, HT; Devins, GM; Hunsley, J; Gill, MJ

doi: N/Apmid: 2742013

The authors examined levels of psychosocial distress and well-being in 65 gay or bisexual men infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); 24 of these men had asymptomatic HIV infection, 22 had acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related complex, and 19 had AIDS. All of the men evidenced high levels of psychosocial distress, but those with AIDS-related complex and those with asymptomatic HIV infection were significantly more distressed than those with AIDS. Corresponding differences were not observed in feelings of psychosocial well-being. The authors conclude that specific psychosocial issues and adaptive demands should be identified over

GARY J. TUCKER

doi: N/Apmid: N/A

Jenike, MA; Buttolph, L; Baer, L; Ricciardi, J; Holland, A

doi: N/Apmid: 2787123

A 12-week open trial of fluoxetine in 61 obsessive-compulsive disorder patients significantly improved depressive and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Baseline depression scores were not related to improvement on two obsessive-compulsive scales. The results reinforce the hypothesis of

Roy-Byrne, PP; Dager, SR; Cowley, DS; Vitaliano, P; Dunner, DL

doi: N/Apmid: 2742010

The authors assessed the effects of partial tapering followed by abrupt discontinuation of alprazolam, diazepam, and placebo in 40 patients with panic attacks. The anxiety scores and frequency of panic attacks of the three groups did not differ at the end of the initial 2-week taper, but 1 week after abrupt discontinuation of the remaining medication, patients formerly taking alprazolam had greater increases in anxiety but no more panic attacks than did the other patients. Because of low statistical power, differences in benzodiazepine half- lives, absence of multiple ratings, and imbalances between groups in clinical characteristics, these

Luchins, DJ; Rose, RP

doi: N/Apmid: 2742018

Although the onset of panic disorder with agoraphobia is usually thought to occur in early adulthood, the authors describe three cases in which onset

T Whitehurst

doi: N/Apmid: N/A

Hoehn-Saric, R; McLeod, DR; Zimmerli, WD

doi: N/Apmid: 2742009

Clinical observations suggest that patients with generalized anxiety disorder differ in somatic symptoms. The authors compared 28 patients with generalized anxiety disorder who had high levels of cardiovascular complaints with 32 patients with generalized anxiety disorder who had low levels of cardiovascular complaints on rating instruments, physiological measures, and use of anxiolytic medication. The two groups differed on somatic but not psychic symptoms on rating instruments. Patients with high levels of cardiovascular symptoms had higher levels of cardiac lability and required higher doses of alprazolam. These findings suggest that anxious patients with comparable levels of psychic anxiety may differ in levels of

PD Roper

doi: N/Apmid: N/A

LESLIE BROTHERS

doi: N/Apmid: N/A