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Juha Veijola

Publications and source records attributed to Juha Veijola.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Temperament profiles and somatization--an epidemiological study of young adult people.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the temperament profiles of young adult somatizers in an epidemiological setting. We hypothesized that somatizers would have a characteristic temperament profile. METHODS: The sample consisted of 984 subjects at the age of 31 years. Data on somatization were gathered from a review of all public health outpatient records. Subjects with four or more somatization symptoms according to the DSM-III-R criteria were classified as somatizers. Temperament profiles were assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). RESULTS: Six males (1.3%) and 61 females (11.5%) met our criteria for somatization. Harm avoidance and reward dependence of the TCI profiles were associated with somatization symptoms in the whole sample. In logistic regression analysis, sex and psychological distress were associated with somatization but not with temperament profiles. CONCLUSION: We did not find a characteristic temperament profile for somatizers. This finding is in contrast to suggestions that somatization is associated with temperament profiles.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Patterns of psychiatric hospitalizations in schizophrenic psychoses within the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.

We report patterns of hospitalization in schizophrenic psychoses by age 34 in a longitudinal population-based cohort. We test the predictive ability of various demographic and illness-related variables on patterns of hospitalization, with a special focus on the length of the first psychiatric hospitalization. All living subjects of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort with DSM-III-R schizophrenia (n=88) and other schizophrenia spectrum cases (n=27) by the year 1997 in the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register were followed for an average of 10.5 years. Measures of psychiatric hospitalization included time to re-hospitalization (as continuous and as re-hospitalization within 2 years) and the number of hospital episodes. Length of the first hospitalization, other illness-related and various socio-demographic predictors were used to predict hospitalization patterns. After adjusting for gender, age at first admission and number of hospital days a short (1-14 days) first hospitalization (reference >30 days; adjusted odds ratio 6.39; 95% CI 2.00-20.41) and familial risk of psychosis (OR 3.36; 1.09-10.39) predicted re-hospitalization within 2 years. A short first hospitalization also predicted frequent psychiatric admissions defined as the first three admissions within 3 years (OR 13.77; 3.92-48.36). A short first hospitalization was linked to increased risk of re-hospitalizations. Although short hospitalization is recommended by several guidelines, there may be a group of patients with schizophrenic psychoses in which too short a hospitalization may lead to inadequate treatment response.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Co-occurrence of personality disorders with mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders in a young adult population.

The purpose of this study was to determine the co-occurrence of DSM- III-R personality disorders (PDs) with mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders in a young adult population. The members of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Project, living in the city of Oulu with an age of 31 years (N = 1,609) were invited to participate in a two-phase field study. The SCID I and II were used as diagnostic instruments. One hundred and seventy-seven out of 321 interviewed subjects met the criteria for mood, anxiety, or substance use disorders. Altogether 72 (41%) of the subjects with an Axis I disorder met the criteria for at least one PD. The weighted co-occurrence rate of any PD varied from 28% for mood disorders to 47% for anxiety disorders. PDs, especially those in Cluster C, are highly associated with Axis I psychiatric disorders in population.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Childhood adversities as risk factors for adult mental disorders: results from the Health 2000 study.

BACKGROUND: The sex-specific role of stressful or traumatic childhood experiences and adverse circumstances in developing adulthood mental disorders is complex and still in need of comprehensive research. METHODS: Within the Health 2000 project in Finland, a representative sample of 4,076 subjects aged 30-64 years were investigated to examine associations between a set of retrospectively self-reported adverse environmental factors during childhood (0-16 years) and mental disorders diagnosed in the past 12 months by the Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview. RESULTS: Of the 60% of adults reporting at least one childhood adversity, 17% had a current (past 12 months) mental disorder, compared to 10% of the non-reporters. A moderate dose-response relationship between the total number of adversities and current disorders was observed. Paternal mental health problems associated particularly strongly with male depressive disorders (OR 4.46), and maternal mental health problems with female depressive disorders (OR 3.20). Although seldom reported, maternal alcohol problems associated with alcohol use disorders in both sexes. Being bullied at school and childhood family discord predicted a variety of adulthood disorders in both sexes. All these four adversity items were more typical for depressive disorders with an earlier onset. Among females, more adversities were associated with mental disorders and their statistical significance was greater than among males. CONCLUSIONS: There are marked sex differences and several diagnosis-related patterns in the associations between reported childhood experiences and environmental circumstances and adulthood mental disorders. The impact of adversities is probably composed of a wide range of factors from direct causal associations to complex, interacting environmental effects. Variations in the reported associations reflect the differing genetic and environmental transmission mechanisms of mental disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Predictors of schizophrenia--a review.

Schizophrenia is an aetiologically heterogeneous syndrome that usually becomes overtly manifest in adolescence and early adulthood, but in many cases subtle impairments in neurointegrative function are present from birth; hence it is considered to be a disorder with a neurodevelopmental component. The strongest risk factor that has been identified is familial risk with genetic loading. Other risk factors include pregnancy and delivery complications, infections during pregnancy, disturbances of early neuromotor and cognitive development and heavy cannabis use in adolescence. Unfortunately, to date it has not been possible to utilize the predictors of the disorder that have been identified in primary preventative interventions in a general population. However, some authors have claimed that in future it might be possible to reduce the risk for developing schizophrenia through general health policy. In clinical settings, it is helpful to map out possible early risk factors, at least familial risk for psychosis, especially in child, adolescent and young adult mental patients. Furthermore, in the future we may have predictive models combining data from genetic factors for schizophrenia, antenatal risk factors, childhood and adolescent development and clinical symptomatology, as well as brain structural and functional abnormalities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Predictors of schizophrenia: evidence from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort and other sources.

BACKGROUND: Subtle motor, emotional, cognitive and behavioural abnormalities are often present in apparently healthy individuals who later develop schizophrenia, suggesting that some aspects of causation are established before overt psychosis. AIMS: To outline the development of schizophrenia. METHOD: We drew on evidence from The Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort supplemented by selected findings from other relevant literature. RESULTS: The main known risk factors in development of schizophrenia are genetic causes, pregnancy and delivery complications, slow neuromotor development, and deviant cognitive and academic performance. However, their effect size and predictive power are small. CONCLUSIONS: No powerful risk factor, premorbid sign or risk indicator has been identified that is useful for the prediction of schizophrenia in the general population.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Recovery from schizophrenic psychoses within the northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Because of widely disparate findings from follow-up studies, the likelihood of recovery from schizophrenia remains controversial. We report the extent of recovery from schizophrenia in a population-based cohort. METHOD: Subjects with psychotic disorders were recruited from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. Of the 91 subjects who agreed to participate, 59 were diagnosed with schizophrenia and 12 were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (schizophreniform psychosis, schizoaffective or delusional disorder) by DSM-III-R criteria. Diagnoses were established by interviewing the subjects, checking the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register, and reviewing their medical records. To assess recovery, we used the Clinical Global Impressions; the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale; and information about psychiatric hospitalizations, use of antipsychotic medication, and occupational status. RESULTS: Only 1 subject (1.7%) with DSM-III-R schizophrenia and 3 subjects (25%) with schizophrenia spectrum disorders fully recovered; 1 schizophrenia subject (1.7%) and 2 schizophrenia spectrum subjects (16.7%) experienced partial recovery. CONCLUSION: The data indicate that, at least until age 35, complete recovery from schizophrenia is rare, and the prognosis for the disorder is far more serious than suggested by some follow-up studies.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Childhood central nervous system infections and risk for schizophrenia.

Central nervous system (CNS) viral infections have been suggested to increase the risk of schizophrenia, although most of the evidence is indirect and comes from rather few studies on exposure to various infections in general. In the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort the association between schizophrenia and other psychoses and childhood CNS infections has been analysed, and in this paper we present the follow-up results up to the end of 1994 and 1997. Data regarding the infections were collected prospectively between 1966-1980 and data on psychoses from 1982. The registered psychiatric diagnoses were validated using the DSM-III-R classification. Out of the 11017 subjects (96% of all births in that year) 145 had suffered a CNS infection during childhood, which in 102 cases was a viral infection. In the follow-up to the end of 1994, 76 had schizophrenia, and their number increased to 100 to the end of 1997. In addition, up to the end of 1994, 52 patients had a non-schizophrenic psychosis. Four cases in the schizophrenia patient group and none of the patients with other psychosis had suffered a viral CNS infection. None of the schizophrenia cases and two of the patients with other psychosis had had a bacterial infection. The adjusted odds ratio for schizophrenia after a viral CNS infection was 4.8 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.6-14.0) in the follow-up to the end of 1994 and 2.5 (0.9-7.0) in the follow-up to the end of 1997. The clinical course variables did not differ between the schizophrenia patients with or without CNS infection. Our results suggest that viral CNS infections during childhood may have a role as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Their role may be modest at the population level due to their relative rareness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Developmental precursors of psychosis.

Subtle developmental (motor, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral) abnormalities are often present in apparently healthy individuals who later develop psychosis, suggesting that some aspects of causation are established before overt psychosis. These impairments may restrict information processing and social achievements years before manifesting psychosis. The main known risk factors in the development of schizophrenic psychosis are genetic factors, pregnancy and delivery complications, slow neuromotor development, and deviant cognitive and academic performance. However, their effect size and predictive power are small. Developmental precursors are not necessarily specific to schizophrenia, but also common to other psychotic disorders. No powerful risk factor, premorbid sign, or risk indicator has been identified that is useful for prediction of psychoses in the general population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Age at menarche and depression at the age of 31 years: findings from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Early age at menarche has been found to be associated with higher oestrogen levels among girls around the onset of puberty and in early adulthood. The role of oestrogen in depression is not clear, although it affects serotonergic functions in the central nervous system (CNS). We wanted to test the hypothesis that age at menarche is associated with depression in young adulthood. METHODS: The material consisted of 3952 women born in 1966 in Northern Finland. Depression was defined by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), the use of antidepressants and by self-reported lifetime depression diagnosed by physician. Menarcheal age was divided as 9-11, 12-15 and 16 years or over. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was 1.8-fold in current depression, 2.8-fold in the use of antidepressants and 2.1-fold in self-reported physician-diagnosed depression in women with menarche at the age of 16 years or later. After adjusting for confounders, the significant positive association between current depression and late menarche remained, but the use of antidepressants and depression diagnosed by physician had not statistically significant association with the age of menarche. CONCLUSION: A possible explanation for the result may be oestrogen as a protective factor against depression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of hospital-treated personality disorders and personality disorders in a general population sample.

The distribution of personality disorders (PDs) was explored in hospital-treated subjects and in a population subsample. This study forms a part of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort study. Hospital case records of psychiatric treatment periods of all cohort members (n=11,017) were reviewed and re-checked against DSM-III-R criteria. A subsample of the cohort members living in Oulu (n=1609) were invited to a two-stage psychiatric field survey with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) as a diagnostic method. The most common PDs in hospital-treated sample were cluster B PDs (erratic). In the population subsample, cluster C PDs (anxious) formed the majority.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Links between creativity and mental disorder.

A link between mental disorder and decreased ability is commonly assumed, but evidence to the contrary also exists. In reviewing any association between creativity and mental disorder, our aim is not only to update the literature but also to include an epidemiological and theoretical discussion of the topic. For literature retrieval, we used Medline, PsycINFO, and manual literature searches. Studies are numerous: most are empirical, many having methodological difficulties and variations in definitions and concepts. There is little consensus. However, some trends are apparent. We found 13 major case series (over 100 cases), case-control studies, or population-based studies, with valid, reliable measures of mental disorders. The results of all but one of these studies supported the association, at least when concerning particular groups of mental disorders; the findings were somewhat unclear in two studies. Most of the remainder that are not included in our more detailed examination also show a fragile association between creativity and mental disorder, but the link is not apparent for all groups of mental disorders or for all forms of creativity. In conclusion, evidence exists to support some form of association between creativity and mental disorder, but the direction of any causal link remains obscure.

Creativity↗
PubMed2003

Maternal separation at birth and schizophrenia--a long-term follow-up of the Finnish Christmas Seal Home Children.

OBJECTIVE: Problems in the early mother-infant relation pose a hypothetical risk factor of schizophrenia. We studied the association between very early separation and later development of schizophrenia or other psychoses in a unique data set. METHOD: The index cohort consisted of 3020 subjects born in 1945-1965 in Finland who were temporarily isolated from their family immediately after birth to adequate nursing homes due to tuberculosis in the family. The average separation time was 7 months. For every index subject, two reference subjects were matched for sex, year of birth and place of birth. The Finnish Hospital Discharge Register was used to identify subjects with schizophrenia and other psychoses arising from childhood to middle age, between January 1, 1971 and December 31, 1998. RESULTS: The 28-year cumulative incidence of schizophrenia was 1.6% both in the index cohort and in the reference cohort (rate ratio 1.01, 95% CI 0.75-1.37). The incidences of other psychotic disorders were 1.5% and 1.3% (RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.79-1.58), respectively. CONCLUSION: Separation at birth was not found to be associated with either schizophrenia or other psychotic illness. Temporary placement to adequate nursing homes in the first year of life is unlikely to increase the risk for schizophrenia or other psychoses.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Reasons for the diagnostic discordance between clinicians and researchers in schizophrenia in the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of schizophrenia by clinicians is not always accurate in terms of operational diagnostic criteria despite the fact that these diagnoses form the basis of case registers and routine statistics. This poses a challenge to psychiatric research. We studied the reasons for diagnostic discordance between clinicians and researchers. METHODS: The Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort (n = 11,017) was followed from mid-gestation to the end of the 31st year. Psychiatric outcome was ascertained through linkage to the national hospital discharge register containing clinical diagnoses made by the attending physician. The hospital notes of all subjects admitted to hospital during the period 1982-1997 due to psychiatric disorder were reviewed and 475 research, operational DSM-III-R diagnoses were formulated. RESULTS: Ninety-six cases met operational criteria for schizophrenia. Fifty-five (57 %) had concordant diagnoses: both the clinical and research diagnoses were schizophrenia. Forty-one (43 %) had discordant diagnoses: the clinical diagnosis was other than schizophrenia (mainly schizophreniform or other psychosis). Discordant cases were more likely to be older at onset, experience a shorter treatment duration, fewer treatment episodes, and to have a comorbid diagnosis mental retardation. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians do not make the diagnosis of schizophrenia as often as the application of operational criteria would suggest they should. The discordance between clinical diagnosis and the research, operational diagnosis is especially likely in cases having late onset and few contacts to psychiatric hospital.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Parental separation at birth and criminal behaviour in adulthood--a long-term follow-up of the Finnish Christmas Seal Home children.

BACKGROUND: Parental absence has been connected with later criminality. We studied the association between very early separation and criminality in a unique data set. METHODS: The index cohort consisted of 2,906 subjects born between 1945 and 1965 in Finland who were temporarily isolated from their family immediately after birth and sent to adequate nursing homes due to tuberculosis in the family. The average separation time was 7 months. For every index subject, two reference subjects (matched for sex, year of birth and place of birth) were gathered. Data on criminal offences were obtained from Statistics Finland arising from adolescence to middle age, between January 1, 1977 and December 31, 1998. The association between parental separation and subcategories of non-violent and violent criminality and violent recidivism, respectively, in male and female offspring was analysed. Subjects who had committed at least two violent crimes were defined as violent recidivists. RESULTS: Of the male index subjects, 12.1% as compared with 7.1% of the reference cohort (estimated relative risk RR 1.73; 95% CI 1.42-2.11) had committed violent offences. Of the male index subjects 5.2% and of the male reference subjects 3.6% were violent recidivists (RR 1.47; 1.10-1.98). Of the male index subjects 26.3% and of the reference cohort 23.4% had committed nonviolent crimes (RR 1.14; 1.01-1.29). Among females, non-violent crimes were committed by 7.9% of the index subjects and by 5.0% of the reference subjects, respectively (RR 1.54; 1.18-2.00). Violent crimes were rare among female subjects. CONCLUSION: Criminal behaviour was more prevalent among both male and female subjects separated at birth from their families because of tuberculosis in the family than in the reference cohort. Especially violent crimes were prevalent in the male index cohort. Even so, the differences between the index and reference cohorts were rather modest. Very early separation may have some, although limited, influence on later criminality in the offspring.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Ability to speak at the age of 1 year and alexithymia 30 years later.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the association between speech development in the first year of life and alexithymia in young adulthood. METHODS: The study forms a part of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. The original material consisted of all liveborn children in the provinces of Lapland and Oulu in Finland with an expected delivery date during 1966. The comprehensive data collection began during the antenatal phase. In 1997, a 31-year follow-up study was made on a part of the initial sample. The 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was given to 5983 subjects. Of them, 84% returned the questionnaire properly filled in. The ability to talk was classified according to whether the child spoke no words, one or two words, or three or more words at the age of 1 year. Statistical analyses on the association between the ability to speak at the age of 1 year and alexithymia at the age of 31 years were performed, adjusted for birth weight, mother's parity, place of residence and wantedness of pregnancy. RESULTS: The mean of the total TAS score was lowest among early speakers and for both genders separately. The differences were statistically significant. A parallel significant difference was found among males on TAS Factors 2 and 3 and in case of females on TAS Factors 1 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence for an association between speaking development in early childhood and later alexithymia. Our results support the theory that alexithymia may be a developmental process starting in early childhood and reinforcing itself in a social context.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Criminality in the offspring of antenatally depressed mothers: a 33-year follow-up of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort.

BACKGROUND: No epidemiological studies have been reported on the association between mothers' antenatal depression and criminality in their offspring. METHODS: The material consists of a general population cohort of 12059 children born in 1966 in Northern Finland and followed to the end of 1998. Mothers were asked at midgestation by a nurse at the antenatal clinic if they felt themselves to be depressed. The Finnish Ministry of Justice provided information for all descendants on criminal offences. The associations between maternal depression and subgroups of violent and non-violent, violent recidive and non-recidive criminality in male and female offspring were analysed. RESULTS: Of the mothers 14% had depressed mood during pregnancy. A total of 607 (10.9%) male and 72 (1.3%) female criminal offenders were included in the cohort. When adjusted for mother's marital status, smoking, wantedness of the pregnancy, place of residence, socioeconomic status and perinatal complications, the odds ratio (OR) for males was 1.4 (95% CI 1.0-1.9) in the association between maternal depression and non-violent offenders, 1.6 (1.1-2.4) between maternal depression and violent offenders and 1.7 (1.0-3.0) between maternal depression and violent recidivists. The adjusted OR for females involved in non-violent crimes was 1.7 (0.9-3.3) and 0.6 (0.1-6.0) for violent crimes. LIMITATIONS: Maternal depression was not checked using a standardized assessment. CONCLUSIONS: For male offspring of antenatally depressed mothers there was a significant but slight increase in criminality. The emotional state of a pregnant mother may have some, but limited, influence on later criminality in the offspring.

Adolescent↗