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Biomedical subjects

A Raskin

Publications and source records attributed to A Raskin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Psychosocial factors associated with urban adolescent female suicide attempts.

This study identified psychosocial factors that differentiated 19 adolescent female suicide attempters from 21 demographically similar nonattempters in a low income, urban area. Adolescents and their parents independently completed questionnaires and participated in structured and semistructured interviews. Attempters expressed significantly higher levels of suicidal ideation and were described by their parents as displaying higher levels of depressed mood and delinquent behavior problems than nonattempters. Attempters also identified fewer support persons, were less likely to be living with their mothers, were less likely to describe confiding relationships with parents/guardians, and had less active and affectionate relationships with mother figures than nonattempters. Finally, attempters reported more undesirable life stresses than nonattempters.

Adolescent

The effects of hyperbaric and normobaric oxygen on cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Eighty-two elderly subjects with significant cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to treatment with either hyperbaric oxygen, hyperbaric air, normobaric oxygen, or normobaric air. Treatment consisted of two 90-minute sessions a day for 15 consecutive days. Subjects were evaluated on measures of memory and intellectual capacity, as well as on psychiatric symptom rating scales. Results immediately after treatment and at one, two, three, and eight weeks following treatment did not show enhanced cognitive functioning or significantly greater symptom reduction in experimental subjects who received either normobaric or hyperbaric oxygen as compared to controls who received hyperbaric or normobaric air. There was also no evidence of differential treatment effects as a function of initial severity of illness, sex, response to a CO2 loading test, or presumed evidence of cerebrovascular disease.

Aged

The effect of methylphenidate on test performance in the cognitively impaired aged.

It was hypothesized that a central nervous system stimulant with relatively weak peripheral effects would facilitate test performance in the cognitively impaired aged. Twelve elderly subjects participated in a counter-balanced, crossover comparison of 10 mg methylphenidate, 30 mg methylphenidate and placebo. All treatments were administered double-blind as a single dose of oral medication. Neither dosage of active medication was found to effect psychomotor or psychological test performance, subjective report, heart rate or blood pressure. A subsequent open trial of 45 mg methylphenidate resulted in heart rate, blood pressure and subjective changes in two of eight subjects but no effects on test performance. The results suggest that cognitive performance in the moderately impaired aged is unimproved following administration of methylphenidate, and perhaps similar sympathomimetic amines, below a dosage level associated with clinically significant peripheral effects.

Aged

The endogenous--neurotic distinction as a predictor of response to antidepressant drugs.

An inverse factor analysis of 880 depressed inpatients on 33 endogenous-neurotic variables yielded four patient types. Type 3 resembled the endogenous depressions and Type 2 the neurotic depressions. Type 3 patients responded well to both imipramine and chlorpromazine and did poorly on a placebo. Type 2 patients showed the greatest overall improvement at three weeks irrespective of treatment received, including a placebo.

Adjustment Disorders

Antidepressants in black and white inpatients. Differential response to a controlled trial of chlorpromazine and imipramine.

Differential effects of chlorpromazine, imipramine hydrochloride, and a placebo were examined in 159 black and 555 white depressed patients in a multihospital collaborative study. In making these comparisons, the effects of age and social class were controlled. The major study findings were the differential effects of the active drugs for the black men and women. Chlorpromazine was the most efficacious treatment for black women, whereas imipramine was most efficacious for black men. These differences occurred on global ratings of improvement as well as on specific symptoms such as depression, anxiety, guilt-worthlessness, sleep disturbances, and social participation. Black patients also evidenced a higher improvement rate at one week, irrespective of treatment, than did the white patients.

Adult

Factors associated with attempted suicide among hospitalized depressed patients.

An attempt was made to identify background, sociodemographic and clinical variables which are associated with attempted suicide in depression. Within a sample of 308 depressed psychiatric inpatients, suicide attempters were younger than non-attempters and were identified by a pattern of chronic interpersonal maladjustment reflected clinically in withdrawal from social contact and the display of hostility or irritability toward others.

Adolescent