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Query: UMLS:C0036341 (schizophrenia)
 60,220 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Schizophrenia has been defined as an indentifiable disorder based on phenomenologic classification. Support for this concept is derived from consistent observations of a low frequency of the disorder in general populations throughout the world but substantially higher frequency of occurrence in siblings of affected individuals. The rates of concurrence in diagnosis for schizophrenia, surprisingly, vary in similar degree to those found for a series of physical disorders such as cervical cancer, emphysema and bronchitis, and electrocardiographic evaluations of cardiac disorder. The most recent findings from cross-national diagnostic studies of mental disorder uphold the need for a regular, more definitive classification system that is considered from both the service and research points of view.
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PMID:Classification in schizophrenia. 108 2

Starting from a case of marked pain insensitivity in a patient suffering from catatonic schizophrenia we state in this paper that analgesia seems to be an ubiquitous phenomenon which is not only caused by physical disorders of the central nervous system. Different models of interpretation as to be found in scientific literature are reviewed. On the basis of today's physiological knowledge, five hypotheses on causal explanation of pain insensitivity in schizophrenics are discussed: Hypalgesia and analgesia are an expression of motorial inability to react; a consequence of a disorder of consciousness; an analgetic effect of neuroleptic drugs; a basic deficit in schizophrenia and; a result of a disturbed psycho-physiological development.
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PMID:[Disorders of pain perception in schizophrenia]. 170 99

Researchers have long speculated about the existence of a relationship between physical disease and schizophrenia. Psychodynamic and life-stress theories offer opposing predictions about the nature of this relationship. Unfortunately, the empirical research on this topic is often contradictory and frequently plagued by various methodological inadequacies. Despite the theoretical controversy and methodological problems, the present review of the empirical literature suggests that patients with schizophrenia may be at increased risk for breast cancer and possibly for cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, patients with schizophrenia seem to be at reduced risk for developing either rheumatoid arthritis or lung cancer. The epidemiological investigations are worth pursuing since the convincing demonstration of a relationship between schizophrenia and a particular physical disease would yield valuable information about the pathogenesis of both disorders. Future research on this topic will need to consider the possible mediating effects of third variables, such as smoking habits, which may be associated with schizophrenia and which also are, independently, recognized as risk factors for particular physical disorders.
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PMID:Physical disease and schizophrenia. 329 Oct 96

This paper, on the use of antianxiety drugs to relieve certain neurotic symptoms, involves decision making at the level of the individual organism. The words "anxiety," "fear," and "stress" are often used interchangeably in everyday English. In medical usage "anxiety" denotes a state caused by an internal danger, while "fear" is a response to an external danger. "Stress" is the sum total of the bodily responses which occur when the organism has to adapt to a change. The antianxiety tranquilizers relieve anxiety and certain other neurotic symptoms, but do not counteract stress, fear, or anxiety caused by schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. The antianxiety drugs are now being most frequently prescribed for the relief and prevention of emotional distress that might accompany a physical disorder. Somatic illness can cause stress and fear, but does not usually induce neurotic anxiety. In patients suffering from physical disorders, treatment with antianxiety drugs appears justified only in the presence of an underlying psychoneurotic condition.
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PMID:Effect of antianxiety drugs on fear and stress. 610 71

For centuries, a relationship between physical illness and mental illness has been assumed. Following this lead, many reports of an inverse relationship between a number of physical disorders and schizophrenia have appeared. Particularly, the low rates of occurrence of certain psychosomatic illnesses in schizophrenic patients seem to indicate a certain biological and psychodynamic basis. These associations are important in that they may unravel important etiological relationships. Furthermore, they are amenable to testing by epidemiological investigations. Hence there is a need to pursue these studies. The current data no doubt provide impetus for further work and directions for future studies. Well controlled and methodologically sound studies in this area may be of immense value in our understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
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PMID:Relationship between schizophrenia and psychosomatic illness: a review. 652 55

The authors compared a group of young female homicidal offenders with a group of middle-aged homicidal women as to demographic data, psychopathology, physical disorders and type of victims chosen. Young women tend to have low socioeconomic status, have antisocial personality disorder, and/or schizophrenia as psychiatric diagnoses and most likely kill their children, while mid-life women tend to have slightly higher socioeconomic status, suffer from affective disorder and alcoholism and have more frequent physical disorders and most likely murder their spouses. A significant finding noted among mid-life women is the high frequency of physical abuse by husbands who later become their homicide victims. Treatment implications of these findings are noted.
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PMID:A study of young-age and mid-life homicidal women admitted to a psychiatric hospital for pre-trial evaluation. 683 77

The study described here was designed to develop and test a form of nursing assessment of mental patients for use as a basis for individualized holistic nursing care in any setting. Nursing assessment was made of 581 mental patients receiving care in either mental hospitals, psychiatric departments of general hospitals or in mental health centres. Subjects were observed, interviewed and asked to complete a structured assessment form. Major variables studied were physical nursing problems/needs with nine categories, psychosocial nursing problems/needs with nine categories, sex, age, and physical and psychiatric disorders. Data were analysed with frequency distribution and comparative techniques, correlational procedures, and the multiple linear regression statistical procedure. The frequency distribution of psychiatric diagnoses showed that schizophrenic disorders were the most frequent in the total sample. However, there were more depressive patients in the general hospital group. Physical nursing problems/needs were significantly related with psychosocial nursing problems/needs, affective-depressive disorders, sex and age as well as negatively related with psychotic and anxiety disorders. Psychosocial nursing problems/needs were significantly related with schizophrenic and psychotic disorders, physical disorders and with the younger age groups. It was concluded that the psychiatric nursing assessment should encompass the areas of personal characteristics, and physical and psychological problems of the patient, and thus lead to practicing psychiatric nursing, that is, holistic psychosomatic nursing.
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PMID:Formulation and testing of a nursing assessment form for mental patients as a basis for individualized nursing care. 777 1

A study was undertaken of the prevalence of physical disease, psychiatric disorder and deviant behaviour in a sample of 137 long stay psychiatric patients at Porirua Hospital near Wellington, New Zealand. Patients were in the main male, single, middle-aged to elderly and of European descent. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis. Psychiatric symptoms were moderately severe, the most common being unusual mannerisms and posturing, anxiety, blunted affect, tension, unusual thought content and somatic concerns. Known physical disorders were present in 66 patients. Levels of neuroleptic medication were high and tardive dyskinesia was observed in almost 60% of patients. Frequency of deviant behaviour was low in absolute terms but nonetheless problematic. The frequency of deviant behaviour was similar to those reported for British patients.
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PMID:Psychiatric disorder and disability in New Zealand long-stay psychiatric patients. 790 57

During a 24-month period, 205 consecutive new referrals to Muhimbili psychiatric unit were studied. Their socio-demographic characteristics, sources of referral, types of treatment received before referral and the nature of their clinical problems were identified. Their neuropsychiatric disorders were classified according to ICD-10. The ratio of males to females was found to be 1.6:1. The average age was 29.3 years. 23.4% of adult patients were unemployed, two fifths of all patients were single and 70% of all subjects had less than eight years of formal education. Whereas 42.9% of all referrals were from other departments of Muhimbili hospital, the remaining were largely from parastatal dispensaries, district and regional hospitals within Dar es Salaam city. At least a fifth of all patients had consulted traditional healers prior to referral and antimalarials had been given inappropriately to 34 patients with mental problems. Mental disorders consisted of functional psychosis, 36.6% of which three quarters were schizophrenia, neurosis (19.5%), seizures (16.6%), substance abuse (8.8%), organic mental disorders (5.3%), headache (4.9%), sexual dysfunction (2.9%). The rest had conduct disorders and pseudocyesis. Seventeen percent of all cases had concomitant physical disorders. Most patients had delayed to seek medical help.
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PMID:Nature of referrals to the psychiatric unit at Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar es Salaam. 868 72

The extent and consequences of medical comorbidity in patients with schizophrenia are generally underrecognized. Patients with comorbid conditions are usually excluded from research studies, although they probably represent the majority of individuals with schizophrenia. Elderly patients are especially likely to have comorbid disorders. In this article, we review selected literature on medical comorbidity in schizophrenia, including physical illnesses, substance use, cognitive impairment, sensory deficits, and iatrogenic comorbidity. Data from the University of California, San Diego Clinical Research Center on late-life psychosis are also presented. Older schizophrenia patients report fewer comorbid physical illnesses than healthy comparison subjects, but their illnesses tend to be more severe. These results suggest that schizophrenia patients may receive less than adequate health care. Substance abuse is more common in patients with schizophrenia than in the general population and may exacerbate psychiatric symptoms in these patients. Although generalized cognitive impairment is associated with schizophrenia, the main contributors to dementia in older patients are more likely to be comorbid neurological and other physical disorders, substance abuse, and medication side effects. Iatrogenic comorbidity results primarily from the use of neuroleptic (e.g., tardive dyskinesia) and anticholinergic (e.g., confusion) medications. Clinical and research recommendations are made for management of comorbidity in schizophrenia.
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PMID:Medical comorbidity in schizophrenia. 887 93


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