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J R Hamovit

Publications and source records attributed to J R Hamovit.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder at four latitudes.

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) was mailed to a sample population balanced for sex and randomly selected from local telephone directories in four areas: Nashua, NH, New York, NY, Montgomery County, MD, and Sarasota, FL. On the basis of responses to this questionnaire, prevalence rates of winter seasonal affective disorder (winter SAD), summer seasonal affective disorder (summer SAD), and subsyndromal winter SAD were estimated for the four areas. Rates of winter SAD and subsyndromal SAD were found to be significantly higher at the more northern latitudes, while no correlation was found between latitude and summer SAD. The positive correlation between latitude and prevalence of winter SAD applied predominantly to the age groups over 35.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Description of the National Institute of Mental Health family study of affective disorders.

The NIMH family study consisted of 172 probands with affective disorder and 43 normal control probands. Psychiatric disorders were diagnosed in relatives over the age of 18 using Research Diagnostic Criteria based on personal interviews, medical records, and family history information. Some families were also genotyped for red cell, serum, and HLA marker loci. Previous analyses of these data have shown that affective disorders aggregate in families. Segregation analyses have not been able to define the mode of inheritance.

Affective Disorders, Psychotic↗
PubMed1986

A family study of the association of increased ventricular size with schizophrenia.

Families with more than one individual of the same generation with the diagnosis of schizophrenia were recruited for studies. Brain lateral ventricular size was quantified in 26 schizophrenic subjects from 12 unrelated families, their available well siblings (N = 10), and 20 nonpsychotic controls. Lateral ventricular size was significantly greater in the schizophrenics than in their well siblings and controls. In addition, an analysis of variance of the data showed a significant familial component to ventricular size. Although histories of head injury and birth complications were also associated with ventricular size, these were not sufficient to explain both the familial aspect of ventricular size and the association of greater ventricular size with schizophrenia within these families.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus antibody titres in sera from schizophrenic patients.

Serum antibody titres to herpes-simplex (HSV-1, 2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen (EBV-VCA) were determined in 38 unrelated chronic schizophrenic patients, 11 nuclear families with at least 2 schizophrenic members, and 2 control groups. The distributions of antibody titres to herpes simplex and cytomegalovirus were similar among all groups. Patients had higher anti-EBV-VCA titres than non-hospitalized controls; however, hospital staff members in contact with the patients also had significantly higher antibody titres to EBV-VCA. Antibodies to EBV early antigen (EBV-EA) were also determined for 27 unrelated patients and 24 mental hospital employees. The schizophrenic patients had significantly higher antibody titres to EBV-EA than the hospital worker control group. These data do not support the hypothesis that herpes viruses are associated with the aetiology of schizophrenia. Although elevated anti-EBV early antigen titres may suggest persistent active EBV infection, it is unlikely to be related to the aetiology of the disorder, since discordance for EBV seropositivity was present among sibling pairs concordant for schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Clinical findings in patients with anorexia nervosa and affective illness in their relatives.

The most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the families of patients with anorexia nervosa are bipolar and unipolar major affective disorder. The presence of affective disorder, self-induced vomiting, or bulimia in the patient is not predictive of affective illness in the relatives. Thus these features do not define genetic heterogeneity within anorexia nervosa. There may be genetic factors shared between anorexia nervosa and affective disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Genetic methods and preventive psychiatry.

1. The meaning of the consistently high estimates of heritability of psychiatric disorders such as affective disorders and schizophrenia is that a small proportion of families accounts for a very large proportion of the population diagnostic variance. 2. This implies that the classic community mental health services model of a randomly distributed risk in a geographically defined catchment area population is inappropriate, and that efficient case finding and follow-up would result from tracing illness within pedigrees of known cases. 3. Application to clinical practice of family study methods developed in genetic research enables efficient identification of unrecognized and untreated cases, and early provision of care (secondary prevention). The use of family study methods will also uncover milder and variant ("spectrum") forms of illness in relatives of known patients, which then become accessible to treatment. 4. A family study of affective illness at the United States National Institute of Mental Health, demonstrated how additional ill persons including previously untreated cases could be identified. Starting with 86 Bipolar probands, we interviewed all available first degree relatives, and saw second degree relatives if there was indicated psychopathology by history. 5. Of the 405 living first degree relatives of 86 Bipolar I patients, the study found 1.2% had lifetime diagnosis of untreated Bipolar illness, 2.7% had untreated Unipolar illness, 4% had less severe personality disorders and 2% suffered from behavioral disorders such as drug abuse or alcoholism.

Bipolar Disorder↗