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Biomedical subjects

J R Wittenborn

Publications and source records attributed to J R Wittenborn.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Somatic discomforts among depressed women.

An inventory of 69 somatic discomforts was used to identify those discomforts most likely to be concurrent with a clinically severe depression in a sample of 223 recently hospitalized women. The inventory provided scores for each of 15 classes of discomfort. The classes of discomfort with the highest average score for the depressed sample at admission also yielded significantly lower scores for a nonpatient control sample (P less than .05). The four classes of discomfort most pertinent to depression were designated autonomic, wakefulness, dry mouth, and fatigue. The items of discomfort contributing to these classes showed a statistically significant diminution in severity during treatment (P less than .05).

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Effects of benzodiazepines on psychomotor performance.

1 The literature relating to the effects of benzodiazepines on psychomotor performance is critically reviewed. 2 The multiple and diverse psychomotor tests used are assessed according to their ability to demonstrate differences between drugs. 3 Three general conclusions are: (1) The speed with which simple acts of a repetitive nature are performed may be impaired by benzodiazepines. (2) learning and immediate memory will also be impaired. (3) there is relatively little indication that well established higher mental faculties are adversely involved.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1979

Psychomotor changes during initial day of benzodiazepine medication.

1 The detracting psychomotor effects of diazepam (5 mg three times daily) and clobazam (an investigational 1,5-benzodiazepine) were compared with placebo effects over the course of the initial day of medication. Tests were administered at hourly intervals and the data were analyzed from the standpoint of contrasts at each session and from the standpoint of trends that accrued during the course of the day. 2 It is concluded that among normal volunteers diazepam 5 mg three times daily may be near the threshold for detracting psychomotor consequences during the initial day and that clobazam seems to be without detracting consequences and may have some enhancing effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Stability of symptom ratings for schizophrenic men.

The long form of the Wittenborn Psychiatric Rating Scale was used every six months to rate the symptoms of a sample of 75 schizophrenic men during the 24-month period following their admission to the hospital. The greatest diminution of symptoms assessed in this manner occurred during the first six months of treatment, and rated symptom severity at the time of admission showed relatively little predictive promise for ratings of the respective symptoms at the end of six months. After the initial six-month period, however, the symptoms became increasingly stable and symptom ratings at 12 and 18 months had substantial predictive implications for respective symptom ratings for 24 months. Factor analyses of the intercorrelated scores showed that two transcending patterns were conspicuous throughout the 24-month period.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Persisting personalities among depressed women.

Descriptions of patients' premorbid personalities were provided by family informants at the time of the depressive episode, and one year later at follow-up the informants were asked to describe the current personalities. A comparison of the initial and follow-up descriptions for a sample of 190 depressive women showed that personality characteristics traditionally ascribed to depressive patients tended to provide a persisting characterization for most of the sample. There was a diminution in the incidence of certain personality characteristics for a small but significant portion of the sample.

Depression↗
PubMed1977

Persisting symptoms in schizophrenia predicted by background factors.

A social worker's Home Inquiry was conducted for 75 schizophrenic males as soon as possible after hospitalization. A standard set of items based on this inquiry was scored in terms of nine factors. These Home Inquiry factor scores were found to have modest but statistically significant correlations with specific symptom ratings conducted two years after admission. In the present sample, an interpersonally uncomfortable childhood home and low premorbid self-esteem have untoward implications for the remission of symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

A comparison of the effect of imipramine, nomifensine, and placebo on the psychomotor performance of normal males.

Imipramine (50 mg), nomifensine (50 mg) or placebo was administered early morning, late morning, and mid-afternoon to normal volunteers. The program of hourly tests included: the Digit Symbol Substitution, Perceptual Reversal, Time Estimation Test, and Simple and Complex Continuous Performances tests both of which required recognition of briefly exposed letters of the alphabet. It was found that relative to placebo or nomifensine, imipramine had a clearly detracting effect on most of the tests. Drowsiness was reported more often in the imipramine group than in the placebo and nomifensine groups combined.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

The effect of minor tranquilizers on psychomotor performance.

The effect of a standard daily regimen of chlordiazepoxide, prazepam (a new benzodiazepine tranquilizer), and placebo were examined in a three way double-blind comparison for a sample of normal volunteers. The criteria include a limited spectrum of psychomotor functions. A learning effect was conspicuous for all drugs on all criteria during the day-long sequence of ten trials. For the most part the differences between the drug groups were insignificant, but there were distinctive modifications in the performance of the chlordiazepoxide group. The clearest effect of the tranquilizer medications was found in the time estimation tests. Paradoxically, the drugs correct a naturally occurring perceptual error.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

A comparison of antidepressant medications in neurotic and psychotic patients.

The responses of 225 newly hospitalized depressed women to amitriptyline hydrochloride, imipramine hydrochloride, and thioridazine were compared with particular reference to the psychotic-neurotic distinction. During the first week, more psychotic patients required sedation and more antidepressant medication than did neurotic patients. All treatment groups showed improvement in psychometric criteria after the first week. There was decreasing improvement through the successive weeks, and no statistically significant differences among treatments emerged. Responses of the neurotic group were superior to those of the psychotic group, but there was no psychometric evidence of interaction between diagnostic classification and treatment effect. The results do not support the hypothesis that any one of these treatments is preferable for neurotic patients or for psychotic patients.

Adult↗