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Biomedical subjects

A L Pottash

Publications and source records attributed to A L Pottash.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

Eating disorders and cocaine abuse: a survey of 259 cocaine abusers.

A structured clinical interview designed to diagnose eating disorders was administered to 259 consecutive callers to the National Cocaine Hotline who met DSM-III criteria for cocaine abuse. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed met DSM-III criteria for either anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or both disorders. The prevalence rates for each of these disorders in this sample appeared elevated even when narrow diagnostic criteria were applied. The data suggest that drug abusers should be screened carefully for the presence of an eating disorder and that abnormalities of eating behaviors seen among these individuals should not be attributed simply to drug use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Evaluating depression in alcoholics.

The persistence of untreated depression was evaluated in 49 severely depressed alcoholics. After 2 weeks of sobriety, 80% of patients with initial major depression by Research Diagnostic Criteria were no longer depressed. These patients improved without antidepressant medications, suggesting the need for a 2-week period of sobriety before psychopharmacotherapy for depression is instituted. Many severe depressions in actively drinking or recently sober alcoholics may represent alcohol-induced organic affective syndromes which, unlike major depressive illness, remit spontaneously with sobriety.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Central stimulant abuse: neurochemistry and pharmacotherapy.

This paper reviews certain clinical and neurochemical aspects of cocaine abuse. Once entrenched patterns of addiction have developed, cocaine addicts suffer progressive financial, medical, psychiatric and psychosocial deterioration that results, to some extent, from cocaine-induced neurochemical alterations in the brain. While cocaine produces euphoria through its stimulatory effect on dopamine neurons, several lines of evidence suggest that dopamine depletion occurs after chronic cocaine abuse. The dopamine neurotransmitter system is therefore a natural starting point for understanding the biology of cocaine addiction and selecting suitable adjunctive pharmacological agents. Furthermore, the dopamine depletion hypothesis implies that cocaine is "physically" addictive and provides a biological framework for understanding this disease and refining present therapeutic approaches.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1985

Number of cortisol time-points and dexamethasone suppression test sensitivity for major depression.

Failure to suppress cortisol secretion after administration of dexamethasone has been reported to be a diagnostic marker for major depression and to have prognostic implications when repeated after antidepressant treatment. The pulsatile pattern of cortisol secretion suggested to us that increasing the number of post-dexamethasone cortisol determinations might significantly increase the sensitivity of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for major depression. With a conventional two-point DST (1600 h and midnight), 5% of 20 normal volunteers, 8% of 13 inpatients with non-major depressions, and 31% of 65 inpatients with primary major depression failed to suppress. With six post-dexamethasone points (0800 h, 1200 h, 1600 h, 2000 h, 2200 h, midnight), the respective percentages were 10, 15 and 44%. The additional points increased the sensitivity from 31 to 44%, mostly by identifying more major depressives with a "late escape" pattern. If a clinician is using the DST to establish a marker for major depression that can be repeated to monitor response to treatment and the likelihood of relapse, then perhaps the increased sensitivity of the six-point DST would be helpful, despite a modest decrease in specificity from 94 to 88%.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1978

Utilization of psychiatry in a primary care center.

The pattern of use of psychiatry over a 12-month period in a university-based primary care center is reported. Interest in pursuing careers in family practice and amount of time spent in the center were related to seeking consultation. All nurse practitioners and social workers sought psychiatric consultations. The majority of patients received care for their psychiatric problems by their primary care clinicians after consultation rather than being referred to a traditional psychiatric clinic.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dexamethasone suppression test testing of depressed alcoholics.

In order to determine the sensitivity of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for major depression in alcoholics, we administered this test to 27 alcoholics with major depression. Sixteen of 27 had abnormal DST results, yielding a 59% sensitivity for depression in alcoholics. When combined with previously reported specificity findings of 100%, the DST significantly (p less than 0.001) distinguished depressed from nondepressed alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cocaine update: from bench to bedside.

The aim of this paper is to review and explore the psychopharmacology of cocaine from two divergent points of view--the chronic user and the laboratory. Cocaine's behavioral effects will be correlated with neurophysiological, neurochemical events, and reports by users of consequences of chronic use. These studies and reports when pieced together offer considerable promise in the development of a natural history of compulsive cocaine use. Additional neurochemical and neurophysiological research investigations are needed to allow for the development of non-addicting treatments for detoxification (à la clonidine) and prophylaxis (à la naltrexone). In the absence of these data cocaine treatment programs have been developed borrowing heavily from self help, contingency contracting and inpatient programs for working addicts.

Affect↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Drug abuse and bipolar disorders.

Abuse of multiple substances can coexist in many patients who present with symptoms indistinguishable from any Bipolar Disorder. Failure to recognize and treat this coexistent substance abuse may preclude the proper management of the bipolar disorder.

Amphetamine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hedonic deficit in chronic schizophrenia.

Forty-two chronic schizophrenic patients were evaluated for extent of hedonic deficit and compared with a demographically matched sample of normals. Schizophrenics rated themselves as experiencing significantly less pleasure on four of ten pleasure factors. When the schizophrenic sample was divided into depressed and non-depressed subgroups, the depressed subgroup was found to account for these differences in pleasure between schizophrenics and normals. Psychobiological implications of these results are discussed.

Adult↗