BRIEF COMMUNICATIONPOPE, HARRISON G.; HUDSON, JAMES I.; JONAS, JEFFREY M.
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Comparing 15 consecutive male bulimic patients to a female bulimic control group, the authors found no differences on demography, associated psychopathology, family history, or treatment response. In contrast to a previous report, the authors found little evidence of increased homosexuality or “sexual conflict” in these men.
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONREICH, JAMES ; WELLS, JAMES
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In order to clarify the nature of those defendants referred multiple times for competency-to-stand-trial evaluations, 390 consecutive admissions to the Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Court Clinic were reviewed. Fifty-four of these had had more than one evaluation in the 2.5-year period under study and will be referred to as repeaters. Repeaters were significantly different from nonrepeaters in terms of diagnosis (p< .01), tending to be more likely to be schizophrenic or affectively disordered. Repeaters also tended to have less education (p< .01) and to be found competent less often (p< .01) than nonrepeaters. No repeaternonrepeater differences were found in age, race, or legal charge. Implications for future research on and management of this population are discussed.
Studies in Involuntary Civil Commitment and Involuntary Electroconvulsive TherapyMAHLER, HOWARD ; TEE CO, BUN ; DINWIDDIE, STEPHEN
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On January 2,1979, the state of Missouri enacted new mental health laws. In this tandem study the impact of the change in law at an acute urban mental health center in St. Louis, Missouri, was examined in two specific areas: involuntary civil commitment and involuntary electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The first part of this examination was conducted by comparing all patients (N= 86) who were referred to court to determine their need for involuntary civil commitment from July 1, 1980, to June 30, 1982, to a nonadjudicated control group (N= 87). The second part of this examination was conducted by comparing all patients (N= 19) who were referred to court to determine their need for involuntary ECT from July 1,1979, to June 30,1983, to a voluntary ECT recipient control group (N= 24). A large series of statistical comparisons were made.
Co-Morbidity and Depression among the Anxiety DisordersBARLOW, DAVID H.; DiNARDO, PETER A.; VERMILYEA, BONNIE B.; VERMILYEA, JAMES ; BLANCHARD, EDWARD B.
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One hundred twenty-six patients presenting at an anxiety disorders research clinic were administered a structured interview. Diagnoses were made on the basis of DSM-III criteria but without regard to current exclusionary systems within DSM-III. Rather, clinicians decided whether anxiety and depressive symptoms that met DSM-III criteria for additional diagnoses were associated features of the presenting problem or represented an independent coexisting complication. Diagnoses and accompanying psychometric data delineated groups of patients with somewhat different clinical and psychometric characteristics. But additional anxiety and depressive diagnoses were required in a number of cases. Anxiety states almost always required additional diagnoses whereas for the phobic disorders additional diagnoses occurred less frequently. Simple and social phobia were the most frequent additional diagnoses, but depression was more strongly associated with some anxiety disorders, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder. In view of the treatment implications of comorbidity, establishing the functional relationships among anxiety symptoms without regard to exclusionary systems would seem important in both clinical and research settings.
A Comparison by Ethnic Group and City of the Criminal Activities of Narcotic AddictsNURCO, DAVID N.; SHAFFER, JOHN W.; BALL, JOHN C.; KINLOCK, TIMOTHY W.; LANGROD, JOHN
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In an effort to update the results of earlier studies concerning the amounts and types of crimes committed by urban, male narcotic addicts, confidential interviews were conducted with addicts attending methadone maintenance clinics in Baltimore and New York. Samples were stratified by ethnic group (black and white in Baltimore; black, white, and Hispanic in New York), and the amounts and types of crimes committed were compared across groups, cities, and narcotic addiction status (actively addicted/not actively addicted) using six different measures all based on the concept of crime-days per year at risk. Consistent with previous findings, addicts were found to engage in a great deal of criminal activity, especially during periods of active addiction to narcotics. Differences in the amounts and types of crimes committed were found among ethnic groups and, to a lesser extent, between cities as well. For the Baltimore sample, comparison of findings with those derived from an earlier (1973-78) data base suggests that the amount of crime committed by addicts has increased in several categories as well as overall. However, minor differences in data collection procedures render this finding suggestive rather than conclusive.