PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

J H Greist

Publications and source records attributed to J H Greist.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

A comparison of two computer-administered versions of the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule.

This study compared three versions of the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS): "traditional" interviewer-administered DIS; computer-administered DIS (subject interacting alone with computer); computer-prompted DIS (interviewer using computer program as a guide). Kappas for 20 diagnoses ranged from .15 to .94, and averages for the three method pairs ranged from .57 to .64, which are comparable to other DIS reliability studies. Agreement between pairs of methods were comparable. Subjects' attitudes toward the computer interview were positive. While they felt they could better describe their feelings and ideas to a human, they found the computer contact less embarrassing. Overall, subjects had no preference for one method over another. Measures of social desirability and deviant response biases were correlated with diagnostic results. Reading ability did not affect subject's ability to respond to the DIS, although subjects with lower reading levels preferred the computer interview more.

Adult

Clomipramine hydrochloride in childhood and adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder--a multicenter trial.

Children and adolescents with obsessive compulsive disorder were studied in an 8-week, multicenter, double-blind, parallel groups trial of clomipramine hydrochloride (CMI) versus placebo. Efficacy assessments included the child version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the National Institute of Mental Health Global rating scale. At the end of 8 weeks, CMI-treated patients showed a mean reduction in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score of 37% compared to 8% in the placebo group. Side effects were typical of tricyclic antidepressants. In a 1-year open label treatment, CMI continued to be effective and well tolerated.

Adolescent

The effect of enalapril on serum lithium levels in healthy men.

BACKGROUND: Several authors have recently described the development of lithium toxicity after the addition of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors to a stable lithium regimen. This pilot study was designed to systematically investigate the effects of enalapril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, on the serum level of lithium. METHOD: In a 26-day outpatient study, nine healthy men took lithium for 10 days, lithium and enalapril for 10 days, and lithium alone again for 6 days. Serum lithium levels were measured while patients were taking lithium alone and while they were taking the lithium/enalapril combination. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between mean serum lithium level during treatment with lithium alone and during treatment with the lithium/enalapril combination. However, one subject showed a 31% increase in serum lithium level after enalapril was added. CONCLUSION: Although no statistically significant differences between mean serum lithium level during treatment either with lithium alone or with lithium/enalapril were found, it is possible that the low dose of enalapril and low serum lithium levels employed for subject safety may have resulted in a type II statistical error. If enalapril doses or initial serum lithium levels were similar to those described in case reports, a significant difference in mean serum lithium levels may have been observed. While a predictable interaction between lithium and enalapril probably does not occur in all patients, factors such as enalapril dose, serum lithium level before addition of enalapril, or the presence of heart disease may make such an interaction more likely. At the levels of lithium and enalapril used in this study, elevated serum lithium concentration does not appear to be a universal event, but physicians must exercise appropriate caution.

Adolescent

Behavior therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder.

Behavior therapy for OCD with exposure and response prevention is effective in reducing obsessions and rituals in at least half of those suffering this disabling disorder. Office-based sessions in which patients participate actively in designing exposure and response prevention homework are usually sufficient. Therapist assistance is sometimes needed for those who fail to perform these assignments on their own. Poor compliance, severe comorbid conditions, and CNS-depressing drugs can interfere with behavior therapy. Techniques to manage these difficulties, including modifications of behavior treatment and the use of serotonin reuptake inhibiting drugs, can increase substantially the number of patients responsive to behavior therapy.

Adaptation, Psychological

An integrated approach to treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Except for rarely performed psychosurgery, obsessive compulsive disorder seldom improved with reversible treatments before 1966. In that year, Victor Meyer reported successful treatment of OCD with behavior therapy, and clomipramine was first released. For the past 25 years, controlled research has demonstrated specific efficacy of exposure for obsessional anxiety and ritual or response prevention for reducing ritual time, interference, and associated distress. Over the same time span, clomipramine has been conclusively shown to be an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder in double-blind controlled trials against placebo and other nonpotent serotonin uptake inhibitor antidepressants. Fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, and sertraline, all potent serotonin uptake inhibitors, have also demonstrated efficacy in obsessive compulsive disorder; fluvoxamine is the best studied of these three compounds. The combination of behavior therapy and a potent serotonin uptake inhibitor is currently the best treatment for most patients. Psychosurgery still has a part to play in the treatment of a small proportion of severely disabled and distressed obsessive compulsive patients unresponsive to other effective treatments.

Behavior Therapy

The lithium librarian. An international index.

Lithium salts are being widely used for treatment and prophylaxis of bipolar affective disorder (manic-depressive psychosis) and are under investigation in more than 30 other illnesses. The relevant literature has grown from 43 articles published between 1949 and 1964 to nearly 4,000 today. A computer-based lithium librarian program has been developed that provides an up-to-date registry of all lithium references, rapid search capability, constant availability, and easy transferability to identical computer systems located on three continents. References provided by the system are more complete, more rapidly available, and less costly than references obtained from other bibliographic services. This specific response to the rapidly expanding lithium literature provides a model for comprehensive aquisition and searching of other specialized subjects areas needed by clinicians and researchers.

Computers

Routine on-line psychiatric diagnosis by computer.

With the advent of effective psychiatric treatments, greater accuracy in psychiatric diagnosis has become a vital concern for psychiatric training, research, and patient care. The authors have adapted current computer diagnostic procedures in order to obtain highly accurate diagnosis while simplifying and shortening the process of information input and diagnostic output. Their program requires a minimum of the clinician's time and provides feedback during the diagnostic process when the clinician requires it. The authors believe that routine use of this computer diagnostic program will improve psychiatric training, research, and patient care.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted

Computers and psychiatry. Promises to keep.

The potential of computer-based psychiatric information systems is still largely undeveloped. Conceptual, technical, cost, and procedural problems have limited the impact of computers, but there are programs that have been successful or that show promise. While changes in the philosophy of psychiatric computer applications are on-going, a cost-effective, widely available clinical computer system has been developed.

Attitude of Health Personnel