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

Animal data indicate that serotonin (5-HT) is a major neurotransmitter involved in the control of numerous central nervous system functions including mood, aggression, pain, anxiety, sleep, memory, eating behavior, addictive behavior, temperature control, endocrine regulation, and motor behavior. Moreover, there is evidence that abnormalities of 5-HT functions are related to the pathophysiology of diverse neurological conditions including Parkinson's disease, tardive dyskinesia, akathisia, dystonia, Huntington's disease, familial tremor, restless legs syndrome, myoclonus, Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, multiple sclerosis, sleep disorders, and dementia. The psychiatric disorders of schizophrenia, mania, depression, aggressive and self-injurious behavior, obsessive compulsive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, substance abuse, hypersexuality, anxiety disorders, bulimia, childhood hyperactivity, and behavioral disorders in geriatric patients have been linked to impaired central 5-HT functions. Tryptophan, the natural amino acid precursor in 5-HT biosynthesis, increases 5-HT synthesis in the brain and, therefore, may stimulate 5-HT release and function. Since it is a natural constituent of the diet, tryptophan should have low toxicity and produce few side effects. Based on these advantages, dietary tryptophan supplementation has been used in the management of neuropsychiatric disorders with variable success. This review summarizes current clinical use of tryptophan supplementation in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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PMID:L-tryptophan in neuropsychiatric disorders: a review. 130 30

The relationship of age and of level of adaptive functioning to comorbidity of mental disorders among alcoholics was studied in a survey of all alcoholics seeking outpatient mental health treatment in the Veterans Affairs mental health care system during a one-month period in 1986 (N = 22,463). More than half of the alcoholic outpatients had one or more comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. Rates for comorbid substance abuse disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders peaked in younger alcoholics and then decreased with age. Age-related increases were observed for major depression, anxiety disorders, and organic brain syndrome or dementia. DSM-III axis V ratings of poor to grossly impaired functioning were consistent across age groups. More than half of alcoholics with a comorbid psychiatric disorder were rated as severely impaired, compared with less than a third of those with no comorbid mental disorder.
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PMID:Age-related psychiatric comorbidities and level of functioning in alcoholic veterans seeking outpatient treatment. 132 23

Many schizophrenics have a diagnosis of substance abuse or dependence. We evaluated whether drug or alcohol abuse is an independent risk factor for tardive dyskinesia (TD) in schizophrenia. In a consecutive admission, clinical study of 75 hospitalized schizophrenics, drug or alcohol abusers had significantly higher TD scores than nonabusers. The association of alcohol abuse or dependence with TD seemed independent from other risk factors for TD.
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PMID:Increased tardive dyskinesia in alcohol-abusing schizophrenic patients. 134 98

The authors describe the successful use of an adjunctive group psychotherapy for substance-abusing patients with major psychiatric disorders (bipolar, schizophrenia, schizoaffective, psychotic depression, and atypical psychosis). The group utilizes a psychoeducational approach that focuses on substance abuse causes and consequences, principles of recovery, and relapse prevention strategies. Eight patients with prolonged histories of abuse of cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs were enrolled in this weekly group treatment at a community mental health center drug treatment program, while continuing in treatment with their current case manager or primary therapist. Six of the eight patients achieved periods of stable abstinence, documented by self-report, urine toxicology screens, continued group attendance, and improved social functioning. Case examples are utilized to illustrate the group process.
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PMID:Treatment of dual diagnosis patients: a relapse prevention group approach. 136 27

This study examined whether particular groups of psychotic women are likely to present management problems during pregnancy and childbirth. The pregnancy courses and outcomes of 22 psychiatric inpatients were reviewed. Schizophrenic women with delusions or psychotic denial about the pregnancy were significantly less likely to detect labor than were nondelusional women. Ability to detect signs of labor and cooperate with labor instructions was significantly more likely in women with bipolar affective disorders than in those with schizophrenic disorders, and was also more likely in those women with severe personality disorders and substance abuse histories. The total patient cohort underwent significantly more cesarean sections than their nonpsychiatric counterparts who delivered at the same hospital. These findings suggest that psychotic women are at high risk for the development of pregnancy and birth complications.
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PMID:Treatment and outcomes of psychotic patients during pregnancy and childbirth. 138 39

Twenty-six adolescents with a chronic mental illness (schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder of at least 1.5 years' duration) were assessed for the presence or absence of comorbid substance abuse. The two groups were compared on a number of variables believed to identify or predict substance abuse. The substance abusing subgroup were significantly different in levels of social functioning, school achievement, premorbid substance abuse, having parents or siblings who abused substances, dysfunctional families, cigarette smoking, number of hospital admissions, and emergency room visits. These findings are discussed in the context of clinical issues regarding the management of adolescents with chronic mental illnesses.
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PMID:Substance abuse among adolescents with chronic mental illnesses: a pilot study of descriptive and differentiating features. 139 21

This review of the literature does seem to reveal an association between schizophrenia and a variety of antisocial behaviors that include violent crime, and even homicide, especially in North America. The literature consistently shows that since the 1950s, schizophrenics have been involved in crime and arrested more frequently than the general population, they are overrepresented in correctional settings, and they represent the majority of those found not guilty by reason of insanity. Many authors cite changes in mental health policies, particularly de-institutionalization, as one of the major causes of these phenomena. It is important to note that a history of prior arrests and of being male, poor, unskilled, uneducated, and unmarried are perhaps the best predictors of antisocial behaviors in the mentally ill and in the general population alike. Schizophrenic drift and increased family pathology in schizophrenic families, however, may predispose people suffering from schizophrenia to these demographic variables. Interestingly, these variables do not seem as relevant in the emergency room or inpatient wards where violence seems to be mainly affected by the severity of psychopathology, substance abuse, neurologic signs, and the environment within the mental health setting. The implications for the practice of psychiatry are diverse. Clearly clinicians in both hospitals and community mental health settings must have experience, training, and an awareness of the literature relating to the prevention, causes, and management of violence. It behooves us in the mental health field, having vociferously supported the community mental health movement, to assist police in the management of the mentally ill who are now in the community, perhaps by the use of mobile crisis intervention teams and by a considerably increased amount of effort and cooperation. Correctional services require urging to develop resources for identifying and tracking the mentally ill so as to be able to provide programs and continuity of care. Community mental health and criminal justice systems need to cooperate in planning the transition of mentally abnormal offenders from prisons into the community and then providing support and after-care for them. One exemplary program that has developed and benefited from the coordination and planning at the interministerial level is the Inter-ministerial Project (IMP) program in Vancouver. This program identified the people whose histories revealed repeated admissions to both correctional and mental health facilities, bouncing between one and the other. Using a case management approach with a limited caseload, clinicians were able to reduce the number of admissions to both types of facilities. This program should serve as a model for other jurisdictions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:The forensic psychiatric aspects of schizophrenia. 140 22

A total of 196 nonspecialty state hospitals in the U.S. each identified one patient--referred to as the hospital's "worst" recidivist--admitted to the hospital in 1987 who had the most lifetime admissions to that hospital. Persons admitted for mental retardation or substance abuse detoxification were excluded. The mean age of the recidivists was 42.2 years; their mean age at first admission was 24.7. The number of admissions per patient ranged from five to 121, with a mean of 31. Compared with the national population of state hospital admissions, significantly larger proportions of recidivists had diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and personality disorder. More research is needed to determine actual community tenure of patients who receive revolving-door care and whether alternative approaches would be more effective.
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PMID:A report on the "worst" state hospital recidivists in the U.S. 142 98

We have previously described a model of outpatient integrated treatment for patients with comorbid psychoactive substance use disorders and schizophrenia (PSUD/S)(1). Here we review relevant literature on comorbidity and outline the rationale for integrated services. Further, we describe results from 3 related studies: First, we document the approximate incidence of PSUD among a heterogeneous group of 602 schizophrenic inpatient admissions to our hospital. Second, we describe in greater detail the psychiatric symptoms and patterns of substance abuse among a subsample of 106 inpatients with PSUD/S, contrasting them with 112 patients with PSUD and mixed psychotic disorders, but who are not schizophrenic. Third, we present a prospective research project and describe a sample of 30 patients with PSUD/S, detailing demographic characteristics, psychiatric symptoms and substance abuse history. Attention is given to current issues in the differential diagnosis of patients with PSUD/S using standardized instruments.
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PMID:Integrated services for treatment of schizophrenic substance abusers: demographics, symptoms, and substance abuse patterns. 143 3

Because neuropsychiatric disorders involve functional and neurochemical cerebral abnormalities, positron emission tomography (PET) is ideally suited for their investigation. The use of tracers to measure regional brain glucose metabolism and/or blood flow has allowed the evaluation of brain function in psychiatric patients. The use of radioligands to assess receptor concentration has enabled an evaluation of the extent to which specific neurotransmitter systems are involved in the pathogenesis of mental illness. This article reviews the application of PET technology to the understanding of schizophrenic disorders and substance abuse.
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PMID:Neuropsychiatric disorders: investigation of schizophrenia and substance abuse. 143 71


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