AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION
SEPTEMBER 1997
TIPSHEET ONE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 18, 1997
Release no. 97-37
Melissa Saunders Katz
(202) 682-6142 /[email protected]
www. psych.org
Journal articles abstracted in this tipsheet are available in their entirety by calling APAFastFAX at 1-888-267-5400 and selecting the appropriate document number for the article you want (numbers listed below).
In the September issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry:
SCHIZOPHRENIA TIED TO COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND BIRTH
The younger a patient is when the first signs of schizophrenia appear, the more likely the patient had a history of complications of pregnancy and birth, according to a new study in thi s month's American Journal of Psychiatry. Schizophrenia typically appears in young people between the ages of 18-30. This international study found that subjects with an onset of the illness before age 22 were 2.7 times more likely to have had a history of abnormal presentation (e.g. breech) at birth and 10 times more likely to have had a history of complicated Cesarean birth. ["Obstetric Complications and Age at Onset in Schizophrenia: An International Co llaborative Meta-Analysis of Individual Patient Data," Hlne Verdoux, M.D. et. al., p. 1220] APAfastFax #6909
ANTIDEPRESSANTS IN BREAST MILK APPEARS TO HAVE NO ADVERSE EFFECT
In a study of nursing mothers medicated with the antidepressant sertraline for c linical depression, small concentrations of the antidepressant were found in all breast milk samples and i n nine nursing infants. However, the critical conclusion of this research conducted at Atlanta's Emory U niversity, found no adverse effects of exposure to these medications observed in any infant. ["Sertraline and Desmethylsertraline in Human Breast Milk and Nursing Infants," Zachary Stowe, M.D. et. al., p. 1255] APAfastFax #6910
HOMELESS PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS FIND SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY
Homeless people with mental illnesses are more likely to take their medication w hen enrolled in community support programs offering on-going care. A Baltimore study followed 7 7 patients enrolled in a Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), which reach out to homeless people with mental illnesses, and evaluated them quarterly for one year. Only 29 percent of those studied took their medication regularly before entering the program. After three months, complianc e significantly increased to 57 percent and remained high throughout the year. ["Assertive Community Treatment and Medication Compliance in the Homeless Mental ly Ill," Lisa Dixon, M.D., M.P.H., et al., p. 1302] APAfastFAX #6911
Why wait for the annual meeting in May? Attend the 49th Institute on Psychiatri c Services -- October 24-28 in Washington, DC -- see page 3 for details.
BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER SEEN IN YOUNG ADULTS WHO ABUSE DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
In a New Haven study of 117 young adults between the ages of 18-40 hospitalized for psychiatric problems -- 70 patients with substance abuse and 47 without -- the substance abu se group had a 60 percent rate of borderline personality disorder. The group without substance ab use problems had a rate of only 15 percent. Some of the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, ac cording to the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) include a pattern of unstable relationships and poor self-image as well as episodes of impulsive beha vior beginning by early adulthood. ["Controlled Study of Psychiatric Comorbidity in Psychiatrically Hospitalized Yo ung Adults with Substance Abuse Disorders," Daniel Becker, M.D., et. al., p. 1305] APAfastFAX #6 912 Direct all media inquiries to Dr. Becker at 415-696-5912.
Highlights from the September Issue of Psychiatric Services
(Note: All Items Embargoed until September 1, 1997)
VIOLENCE MAY BE PREDICTABLE
A review of recent research in this month's Journal of Psychiatric Services, ind icates that violent behavior among persons with mental illness may be more predictable than previous ly thought. One Boston study examined suggests the single best predictor of violence among patie nts is the onset of substance abuse in late childhood or early adolescence. Younger patients with a history of antisocial and violent behavior and childhood aggression as well as those who abuse substances are also more likely to be violent. However, the study notes that violence attributable to mentally ill persons constitutes only a small fraction of overall societal violence. [For more information on these papers, contact Connie Gartner, associate editor, Psychiatric Services, 202-682-6053; fax, 202-682-6189; e-mail, [email protected].] APAfastFAX #6913
###
RSS