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Hannu Lauerma

Publications and source records attributed to Hannu Lauerma.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Neuropsychological subtyping of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia tends to be associated with a general decline in cognitive functioning. However, some studies have found neuropsychologically normal schizophrenia patients. To address this contradiction, we screened first-episode schizophrenic patients according to degree of neuropsychological dysfunction. At least three different neuropsychological subtypes of schizophrenia were found. Memory, specifically delayed recall, was the most important factor that discriminated the groups. Neuropsychological assessment, covering a range of functional domains of the major dimensions of behavior, has an important role in identifying preserved and impaired capacities, in predicting outcome, and in planning treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Lower limb motor restlessness in Asperger's disorder, measured using actometry.

The movement disturbances and brain imaging findings in Asperger's disorder (AD) suggest a dopaminergic deficit in movement regulation. Movement disorders of different etiologies have been quantified and specified with actometry. We compared 10 AD patients with 10 healthy controls, measuring their rest-activities by actometry. The lower limb motor activity was significantly higher in the AD group. They also displayed a rhythmic, periodic movement pattern similar to akathisia. These findings suggest a hypothesis of idiopathic akathisia and a special sensitivity to adverse effects of neuroleptic drugs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Exploring the relations between depression, somatization, dissociation and alexithymia--overlapping or independent constructs?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to extend our knowledge of associations among the constructs of alexithymia, depression, somatization and dissociation. SAMPLING AND METHODS: 924 nonclinical subjects answered questions about depression (21-item Beck Depression Inventory), somatization (13-item somatization part of Symptom Check List-90), dissociation (28-item Dissociative Experiences Scale) and alexithymia (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale). In addition, a 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was administered to detect psychiatric distress among subjects. RESULTS: The results suggested that there was a significant clinical correlation between somatization, dissociation, depression and alexithymia (rho varied from 0.31 to 0.56). The principal component analysis revealed the presence of four components: depression, somatization, dissociation and alexithymia. The use of factor scores diminished the covariance between measures (rho varied from -0.10 to 0.01 between the factor scores). There was almost no correlation between the dissociation factor (rho = 0.06) and alexithymia factor (rho = 0.09) scores and general distress (GHQ-12). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that while somatization, dissociation, depression and alexithymia are distinct constructs, they correlate to a considerable extent. The use of factor analysis and factor scores should be considered to diminish covariance between the above constructs. Comparing results between factored and unfactored results may prove illuminating. As a case in point, the results suggest that the part of dissociation that coincides with other constructs (overlaps) is associated with distress, whereas the distinct part of dissociation (no shared covariance) is not associated with distress. The same applies to the alexithymia construct. Longitudinal studies are needed to show whether there is a trait such as a relatively stable dissociation component and also whether a separate state-dependent dissociation component exists that is associated with coincident distress, somatization and depression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Dissociative disorders among psychiatric patients.

The aim was to determine the rate of dissociative disorders among psychiatric in- (n = 34) and out-patients (n = 37) and to compare the rate to that of nonclinical subjects (n = 297). Dissociative disorders (17% of patients) could be grouped according to the severity of the symptoms and their relation to affective disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Quantitative rest activity in ambulatory monitoring as a physiological marker of restless legs syndrome: a controlled study.

An objective marker of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is needed for developing diagnostic tools and monitoring symptoms. Actometric ambulatory monitoring of 15 RLS patients and 15 healthy controls was undertaken in order to differentiate between RLS-related motor symptoms and normal motor activity. Nocturnal lower-limb activity per minute differentiated and discriminated between groups with no overlap, whereas the periodic limb movement index and the controlled rest activity during sitting showed less discriminative power. The naturalistic recording of nocturnal activity by actometry may prove useful for assessing the severity of RLS and for finding an objective marker to support the diagnosis of RLS.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The Finnish version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II) and psychiatric distress.

The confirmatory factor structure of the Finnish version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale II (DES-II) was exactly the same in the non-clinical population (n=924) as was found in the most recent study in the USA (with the original English version) and as suggested by the authors of the original version. The Finnish version of the DES-II has a Cronbach's alpha of 0.92, and there is a clear positive correlation (from 0.31 to 0.66) between all 28 items and the total score (P<0.001 for all items), indicating good internal consistency and reliability. We also investigated dissociative experiences and psychiatric distress with the DES-II and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The increased proportion of "pathological dissociation" (DES-T) to "non-pathological dissociation" (DES-NP) was directly linked with increased distress. This finding is meaningful for the debate on the utility of the different DES-II scoring systems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Antisocial violent offenders with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder demonstrate akathisia-like hyperactivity in three-channel actometry.

Actometry enables quantitative and qualitative analysis of various hyperactivity disorders. Antisocial violent offenders have demonstrated diurnal increases in motor activity that may be related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that often precedes antisocial development. Motor restlessness in ADHD has common features with neuroleptic-induced akathisia. In this study, three-channel actometry was used to compare 15 antisocial violent offenders who had a history of ADHD with 15 healthy control subjects and 10 akathisia patients. The Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS) was used for clinical evaluation of akathisia symptoms. Ankle movement indices and the ankle-waist ratio differentiated the antisocial patients from the healthy controls significantly, with no overlap, and the same parameters expectedly differentiated the akathisia patients from the healthy controls. The repetitive, rhythmic pattern of akathisia was found in 13 of the 15 antisocial patients. Nine of the antisocial patients scored 2 or 3 (mild to moderate akathisia) on the BARS. Thus, the motor hyperactivity of antisocial ADHD patients has common features with mild akathisia. This may be due to a common hypodopaminergic etiology of ADHD and akathisia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Expressed emotion is not associated with disorder severity in first-episode mental disorder.

A family atmosphere characterized by expressed emotion (EE) is a robust predictor of clinical outcome of patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders. However, there is ongoing discussion as to whether EE is more a cause of clinical outcome or a parental reaction to disorder severity. This cross-sectional study examines a sample of 42 consecutive first-episode patients from a defined geographical area with severe mental disorders (schizophrenia-related disorders, psychotic mood disorders, and non-psychotic mood disorders). Their 42 relatives were interviewed, and the relationships between EE variables derived with the five-minute speech sample method (FMSS) and the patients' demographic, premorbid and clinical measures were analyzed. A high EE score was found in 40% of the relatives. High EE was associated with the interviewed relative's not being a spouse and the patient's being young and unmarried. It was not associated with premorbid characteristics, symptom dimensions or the diagnostic group of the patient. These results do not support the hypothesis that EE is a reaction to the clinical features of the patient. Instead, demographic factors may partly mediate the effect of EE on prognosis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cognitive functioning and expressed emotion among patients with first-episode severe psychiatric disorders.

Expressed emotion (EE) in families is able to predict the clinical outcome of patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders. However, the origins of EE and its interactions with the patient's clinical characteristics are not clear. In this respect, cognitive functioning of schizophrenic and mood-disorder patients has yielded contradictory results. In this cross-sectional study, we examined a sample of 42 consecutive first-episode patients with schizophrenia-related psychoses and severe mood disorders. Forty-two relatives were interviewed with the Five-Minute Speech Sample method. The relationships between EE and 3 clusters of patient-related variables (sociodemography, performance in cognitive tests, and psychopathology) were analyzed with stepwise regression analysis. With the exception of premorbid adjustment in childhood, only the cognitive variables were significantly associated with EE after controlling for the effect of the other variables. High EE was significantly associated with good performance in cognitive tests. Our results favor the attribution hypothesis of EE instead of the hypothesis that patient psychopathology would explain EE. Good cognitive functioning may lead to higher EE scores because of the higher expectations by the relatives.

Adult↗