The Journal of nervous and mental disease
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. · Jan 1994
Pretreatment variables that predict completion of an adolescent substance abuse treatment program.
The present study was designed to determine the utility of pretreatment data in predicting completion and dropout from adolescent substance abuse treatment. One hundred thirty-two consecutively admitted adolescents (mean age = 16.4 years; 93 male subjects, 39 female subjects) with significant substance abuse were administered a battery of standardized substance abuse, psychopathology, and social questionnaires immediately after admission to an intensive, set-length substance abuse treatment program. ⋯ Significant predictors for completion by female subjects were not found. The role of treatment readiness and motivation for male subjects is examined, and the lack of significant findings for female subjects is discussed.
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. · Sep 1993
Comparative StudyRating depression in schizophrenia. A comparison of a self-report and an observer report scale.
Prior research has indicated an inconsistent agreement between self-report and observer report of depression in schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of agreement between a self-report measure of depression and a structured interview. ⋯ However, a sizable proportion of inpatients had difficulty completing the self-report instrument. It is concluded that depressed affect can be assessed in schizophrenics by both self-report and structured interview, but the Beck Depression Inventory poses difficulties in use with inpatients.
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A variety of pharmacological approaches have been introduced to reduce cocaine craving and use. Most of these have been tested in open-label, noncontrolled trials; there is a need for more definitive placebo-controlled investigations. An overview of research design issues involved in the planning of such studies is presented. Discussion of the potential aims of drug trials and the basic principles of methodology and data analysis is intended to facilitate the undertaking of such studies by clinicians in the field of substance abuse as well as by clinical researchers not currently working in substance abuse.
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. · Jul 1989
Alcohol and substance abuse among schizophrenic patients presenting to an emergency psychiatric service.
To obtain information regarding patterns of alcohol and substance use, portions of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) were administered to 53 schizophrenic patients who presented to the crisis service of an emergency room in a major general hospital. The number of individuals in the sample qualifying for a lifetime diagnosis of an alcohol abuse-related disorder was quite high (47%), and there was a strong correlation between disorders of alcohol abuse and the use of other drugs. ⋯ Individuals who qualified for a diagnosis of an alcohol-related disorder were compared with those who did not on a variety of diagnostic and demographic variables. The authors conclude by suggesting that the high-risk rates of drug use-related disorders reported in this sample may be due to the preferential use of emergency services by schizophrenic patients with alcohol and drug abuse-related disorders.
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. · Jan 1989
The development and initial validation of a sensitive bedside cognitive screening test.
Brief bedside cognitive examinations such as the Mini-Mental State Examination are designed to detect delirium and dementia but not more subtle or delineated cognitive deficits. Formal neuropsychological evaluation provides greater sensitivity and detects a wider range of cognitive deficits but is too lengthy for efficient use at the bedside or in epidemiological studies. The authors developed the High Sensitivity Cognitive Screen (HSCS), a 20-minute interview-based test, to identify patients who show disorder on formal neuropsychological evaluation. ⋯ The HSCS was then administered to 60 psychiatric and neurological patients with suspected cognitive deficits but without gross impairment, who also completed formal neuropsychological testing. Results of both tests were independently classified as either normal, borderline, or abnormal. The HSCS correctly classified 93% of patients across the normal-abnormal dichotomy and showed promise for characterizing the extent and severity of cognitive dysfunction.