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Biomedical subjects

M Hambrecht

Publications and source records attributed to M Hambrecht.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

A randomized comparison of group cognitive-behavioural therapy and group psychoeducation in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Although the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in schizophrenia has been established in a number of studies, no information is available on the differential efficacy of CBT in comparison with patient psychoeducation (PE). METHOD: Eighty-eight in-patients with schizophrenia were randomized to receive a therapy envelope of 8 weeks including either 16 sessions group CBT or eight [correction] sessions group PE treatment. Assessments took place at baseline, post-treatment and 6 month follow-up. RESULTS: Patients, who received CBT were significantly less rehospitalized than patients in the PE group during the follow-up period. On a descriptive level, CBT resulted in lower relapse rates and higher compliance ratings at post-treatment and at follow-up than PE. Both forms of therapy led to significant psychopathological improvement at post-treatment and at follow-up. CONCLUSION: The brief group CBT intervention showed some superiority to the PE programme, which could be of considerable clinical and economical importance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

[A psychological early intervention program for the prepsychotic prodromal state. A case report].

We introduce a multimodular, psychological outpatient, intervention program for the treatment of the early prodromal stage which includes individual and group psychotherapy, cognitive training, and family support. The conceptual framework is comprised of the vulnerability and stress-coping concept for schizophrenia. We use cognitive-behavioural strategies which are derived from first-episode and relapse prevention in the treatment of schizophrenia and from the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression. We report the case of a 25-year-old college student in the early prodromal state who was treated by the program. His self-experienced neuropsychological deficits improved, depressive and anxiety symptoms decreased, and positive self-concept was stabilised. During the treatment period of 1 year, social deterioration and prepsychotic and psychotic symptoms were prevented.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Differences in substance abuse patterns: multiple drug abuse alone versus schizophrenia with multiple drug abuse.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the lifetime consumption patterns of patients with schizophrenia and multiple substance abuse and multiple substance abusers without schizophrenia. METHOD: Two hundred and thirty in-patients of a specialized rehabilitation facility for young drug abusers were assessed with regard to their lifetime consumption patterns of 16 different classes of psychoactive drugs. While 110 patients had no diagnosis of a schizophrenic disorder, 120 patients had a comorbidity of multiple substance abuse and schizophrenia. RESULTS: Comorbid patients reported a higher lifetime consumption of hallucinogens, whereas multiple substance abusers without schizophrenia showed a higher lifetime consumption rate of cocaine. CONCLUSION: The differences found in lifetime consumption patterns between comorbid patients and substance abusers without psychotic disorder do not support the so-called self-medication hypothesis. Instead, the differences in lifetime consumption of certain drugs might be a result of lower social competence and standing in schizophrenic patients and lower ability to procure certain illicit drugs.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Cannabis, vulnerability, and the onset of schizophrenia: an epidemiological perspective.

OBJECTIVE: Second to alcohol, cannabis is the most frequently misused substance among patients with schizophrenia. The aim of this paper is to examine at early onset of psychosis whether the high comorbidity of schizophrenia and cannabis abuse is due to a causal relationship between the two disorders. Previous studies have mostly included chronic patients or samples with mixed stages of the psychotic illness. METHOD: In a German catchment area with a population of 1,500,000, a representative first-episode sample of 232 patients with schizophrenia was included in the Age, Beginning and Course of Schizophrenia Study. By means of a structured interview, the Retrospective Assessment of the Onset of Schizophrenia, the onset and course of schizophrenic symptoms and of substance abuse was systematically assessed retrospectively. Information given by relatives validated the patients' reports. RESULTS: Thirteen per cent of the sample had a history of cannabis abuse, which was twice the rate of matched normal controls. Male sex and early symptom onset were major risk factors. While cannabis abuse almost always preceded the first positive symptoms of schizophrenia, the comparison of the onset of cannabis abuse and of the first (prodromal) symptoms of schizophrenia differentiated three approximately equal groups of patients: group 1 had been abusing cannabis for several years before the first signs of schizophrenia emerged, group 2 experienced the onset of both disorders within the same month, and group 3 had started to abuse cannabis after the onset of symptoms of schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: The vulnerability-stress-coping model of schizophrenia suggests possible interpretations of these findings. Group 1 might suffer from the chronic deteriorating influence of cannabis reducing the vulnerability threshold and/or coping resources. Group 2 consists of individuals which are already vulnerable to schizophrenia. Cannabis misuse then is the (dopaminergic) stress factor precipitating the onset of psychosis. Group 3 uses cannabis for self-medication against (or for coping with) symptoms of schizophrenia, particularly negative and depressive symptoms. These patients probably learn to counterbalance a hypodopaminergic prefrontal state by the dopaminergic effects of cannabis. The implications of these very preliminary results include issues of treatment and prognosis, but replication studies are needed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Depression, negative symptoms, social stagnation and social decline in the early course of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate when social consequences in schizophrenia emerge, and what conditions give rise to the social disadvantage evident in people suffering from schizophrenia. METHOD: Early course in schizophrenia was studied in a population-based sample of 232 first illness-episode cases retrospectively from onset to first admission, and in a representative subsample of 115 patients prospectively at six cross-sections over a period of 5 years. Data on non-specific and negative symptomatology and social development was compared with data from an age- and sex-matched control group drawn from the normal population. RESULTS: In total, 73% of the patients showed a prodromal phase of several years. First signs were depressive and negative symptoms. In 57% of cases social disability emerged 2 to 4 years before first admission. Social consequences depended on the level of social development at onset. An early onset involved social stagnation, and a late onset was associated with social decline. Men's poorer social outcome was determined by their lower level of social development at onset and socially adverse illness behaviour. The 5-year symptom-related course showed no gender difference. At 81% the lifetime prevalence of depressive mood until first admission was several times higher in schizophrenics than in healthy controls. Early depression predicted a lower subsequent score for affective flattening. Suicide indicators were predicted by lack of self-confidence and feelings of guilt early in the illness. CONCLUSION: Taking into account a prodromal phase of several years on average before first hospital admission, early detection, case identification and intervention are urgently needed. The intervention must be targeted at syndromes such as early depression, negative symptoms and certain forms of cognitive and social impairment.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The ABC Schizophrenia Study: a preliminary overview of the results.

The ABC Schizophrenia Study, a large-scale epidemiological and neurobiological research project commenced in 1987, initially pursued two aims: (1) to elucidate the possible causes of the sex difference in age at first admission for schizophrenia and (2) to analyse the early course of the disorder from onset until first contact and its implications for further course and outcome. First, transnational case-register data (for Denmark and Germany) were compared, second, a population-based sample of first-episode cases of schizophrenia (n = 232) were selected and third, the results obtained were compared with data from the WHO Determinants of Outcome Study by using a systematic methodology. A consistent result was a 3-4 years higher age of onset for women by any definition of onset, which was not explainable by social variables, such as differences in the male-female societal roles. A sensitivity-reducing effect of oestrogen on central D2 receptors was identified as the underlying neurobiological mechanism in animal experiments. Applicability to humans with schizophrenia was established in a controlled clinical study. A comparison of familial and sporadic cases showed that in cases with a high genetic load, the sex difference in age of onset disappeared due to a clearly reduced age of onset in women, whereas in sporadic cases it increased. To analyse early course retrospectively, a semistructured interview, IRAOS, was developed. The early stages of the disorder were reconstructed in comparison with age- and sex-matched controls from the same population of origin. The initial signs consisted mainly of negative and affective symptoms, which accumulated exponentially until the first episode, as did the later emerging positive symptoms. Social disability appeared 2-4 years before first admission on average. In early-onset cases, social course and outcome, studied prospectively over 5 years, was determined by the level of social development at onset through social stagnation. In late-onset cases, decline from initially high social statuses occurred. Socially negative illness behaviour contributed to the poor social outcome of young men. Symptomatology and other proxy variables of the disorder showed stable courses and no sex differences. Further aspects tested were the sequence of onset and the influence of substance abuse on the course of schizophrenia, primary and secondary negative symptoms, structural models and symptom clusters from onset until 5 years after first admission.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Is schizophrenia a disorder of all ages? A comparison of first episodes and early course across the life-cycle.

BACKGROUND: The heterogeneity of schizophrenic and delusional syndromes by age of onset has frequently been discussed. METHODS: The age distribution of symptoms and 5 year course was studied in a population-based first-episode sample admitted to 10 psychiatric hospitals before the age of 60 (N = 232) and in a clinical sample without age limit of consecutive first admissions to a single hospital (N = 1109), both samples with broadly diagnosed schizophrenia. RESULTS: Early-onset patients, particularly men, presented more non-specific symptoms and higher PSE-CATEGO total scores than late-onset patients. In men, symptom severity decreased with increasing age of onset. In women, it remained stable except for an increase of negative symptoms with late-onset. Only a few symptoms changed markedly with age: disorganization decreased, while paranoid and systematic delusions increased steeply across the whole age of onset range. Pronounced age- and sex-differences emerged in illness behaviour, socially negative behaviour and substance abuse. Within the group of late-onset psychoses there were continuous transitions in symptom profiles and no discrimination between schizophrenia and paranoid psychosis or late paraphrenia. The main determinant of social course was onset level of social development. Early-onset patients did not improve in social status, while late-onset patients, prior to retirement, suffered considerable decline in social status. CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences in age at onset and in age trends in symptom severity support the hypothesis of a mild protective effect of oestrogen. Social course results from an interplay between biological factors (age at onset and functional impairment) and development factors (level of social development at onset and illness behaviour).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Causes and consequences of the gender difference in age at onset of schizophrenia.

The ABC (age, beginning, course) schizophrenia study was commenced in 1987 to generate and test hypotheses about pathogenic aspects of schizophrenia. One of the main branches of the study focused on how gender influences the age distribution of onset, symptomatology, illness behavior, and early course in schizophrenia. Proceeding from one of the rare, strikingly deviating, consistent findings--the gender difference in age at first admission--we launched a systematic search for explanations by generating and testing hypotheses in a series of substudies. We moved from the epidemiological to the neurobiological and finally to the clinical level. The present article is an attempt to provide a brief overview of the individual stages of the ABC study and the different levels of investigation involved in formulating and testing the estrogen hypothesis in animal experiments and in demonstrating its applicability to human schizophrenia. From these results, three hypotheses were formulated and tested on data from an ABC study sample of 232 first-episode cases of schizophrenia. The analyses described here represent the latest stages of the ABC study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Reliability of family reports of illness anamnesis of schizophrenic patients].

Because a valid psychiatric history is difficult to obtain from an acute psychotic patient, particularly upon first admission, information given by important others is necessary for diagnostic classification, but the validity of this data must be examined. Within the ABC Schizophrenia Study, the onset and early course of schizophrenia was assessed from 171 post-psychotic first admissions and their close relatives. High agreement was found for substance abuse, self-destructive behaviour, paranoid delusion and social role deficits. Agreement was low for unspecific symptoms like depression, anxiety, problems with concentration or sleep. Due to a lack of sensitivity of the relatives' reports, agreement was also low for formal thought and perceptual disorders and derealization. A second study with 30 patients with schizophrenia and with 2 or more relatives for each case (n = 69) demonstrated that the quality of relatives' reports depends primarily on the relative's image of the patient (e.g., perceived dominance) and on the relative's attributions about the cause of the disease. Close and long contact tends to impair the quality of reports. Again, the observation of different symptoms is influenced differently by these factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Sensitivity and specificity of relatives' reports on the early course of schizophrenia.

Within the ABC Schizophrenia Study, a large-scale investigation of the influences of age and gender on schizophrenia, the retrospective reports on emerging psychopathology during the early course of schizophrenia given by 171 post-psychotic patients and their significant others were compared in a representative first-admission sample by means of the Interview for the Retrospective Assessment of the Onset and Early Course of Schizophrenia. High agreement (kappa) between patients and relatives was found for substance abuse, suicidal behaviour, parental and marital role deficits, and paranoid delusions. Low positive agreement rates (sensitivity) were seen for perceptual and formal thought disorders. Low negative agreement rates (specificity) were found for depression, anxiety, and similar "unspecific' symptoms. Relatives' reports are helpful but should be used with caution.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Substance abuse and the onset of schizophrenia.

Up to 60% of chronic schizophrenic patients are reported to abuse alcohol or drugs. This comorbidity raises the question whether one disorder is a consequence of the other. With the structured interview "IRAOS," the onset and course of schizophrenia and substance abuse were retrospectively assessed in a representative first-episode sample of 232 schizophrenic patients. Information by relatives validated the patients' reports. Alcohol abuse prior to first admission was found in 24%, drug abuse in 14%-twice the rates in the general population. Alcohol abuse more often followed than preceded the first symptom of schizophrenia. Drug abuse preceded the first symptom in 27.5%, followed it in 37.9%, and emerged within the same month in 34.6% of the cases. The study demonstrates a remarkable association between first-episode schizophrenia and substance abuse, but a unidirectional causality is not supported, nor is a specific psychotic disorder in comorbid cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Do alcohol or drug abuse induce schizophrenia?].

The high comorbidity of schizophrenia and substance abuse raises the question of a causal relationship between the two disorders. Clarifying the temporal sequence of their onsets can shed light on this issue. For this purpose, onset and course of schizophrenic symptoms and of alcohol and drug abuse were retrospectively investigated within the ABC Schizophrenia Study in a representative first-episode sample of 232 schizophrenic patients. The rates of alcohol abuse (24%) and of drug abuse (14%) were twice the rates compared to the general population but schizophrenic patients seemed to have started substance abuse later than the control group. Male sex and early symptom onset were major risk factors. At all important landmarks during the early course of schizophrenia, drug-abusers were younger than alcohol-abusers who were younger than non-abusers. Alcohol abuse usually started during the prodromal phase, i.e., after the first sign of schizophrenia but before the first positive symptom. Drug abuse emerged before the first symptom in one third, simultaneously with it in another third, and during the prodromal phase in the last third of patients. Drug abuse significantly preceded the psychotic phase. The hypothesis that substance abuse causes schizophrenia thus is not generally supported. Findings on symptomatology illustrate the problems substance-abusing schizophrenics pose from early on with dissocial behaviors and preoccupation with magical ideas but without a specific positive or negative subsyndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Quality assurance in clinical social work: specific interventions for specific problem areas in different psychiatric patient groups?].

Based on the standardized data of 2643 treatment episodes documented over 11 years in a psychiatric hospital, this study investigates the issues, activities, and outcome of social work with 2038 psychiatric inpatients from the perspective of quality assurance. A primary objective was to study how the social workers' interventions relate to the patients' problems also with regard to sociodemographic characteristics and type of disorder of the patient. The social workers' estimation of the outcome was also studied in relation to these variables. Interventions were found to correspond significantly with problems, and were mostly depending on age, sex, and diagnosis. Impaired social functioning, predominantly present in chronic disorders, was the major concern of social work interventions.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

[Quality assurance in clinical social work: how do social workers judge the success of their interventions?].

Therapy outcome is an important criterium for quality assurance. In this study, clinical social workers themselves estimated the outcome of their interventions in 2643 admissions of 2038 patients to a psychiatric hospital. These inpatients had been referred by a psychiatrist to the social worker and comprised 27 % of all patients admitted to the hospital within 11 years. The study purpose was to investigate how the outcome estimates relate to clinical and sociodemographic variables of the patients, to their specific problems, and to the applied interventions. The fewer areas of problems were perceived and the more interventions were performed, the more positive these interventions were evaluated. Administrative interventions were seen as more successful than counseling. Outcome estimates were particularly positive in long and intensive therapies.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Social work in inpatient psychiatric management. An empirical study of indications and success].

The participation of social work in inpatient psychiatric care is generally considered necessary, but there is a lack of empirical studies in this field. The analyses presented of a systematic documentation of social work interventions in 2038 cases during an 11-year period demonstrate that social workers are mostly involved in the treatment of chronic and previously treated patients. Interventions in younger patients, most of whom are suffering from psychoses, aim at rehabilitation through activity; in elderly patients with organic or depressive disorders, the major concern is to improve posthospital care; patients with neurotic or personality disorders comprise another group with a chronic course and a relatively poor outcome. As far as their goals are comparable, social workers and doctors agree on their objectives. Social workers usually see their own interventions as successful, but patient groups who benefit greatly can be differentiated from groups with poor outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A second case of schizophrenia in the family: is it observed differently?

Comparing reports on emerging symptomatology of schizophrenia by families with and without a prior case of the disorder shows that experienced families are more sensitive to delusions and hallucinations; however, they observe unspecific, affective, negative, and social/behavioral symptoms less adequately than relatives who have no previous case of schizophrenia in their families. The results only partly support the hypothesis that already-affected families tend to deny a second case. A contrast effect of the first psychosis over the second case (as long as it is prepsychotic) appears to be plausible also.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Toxic tricyclic drug plasma level caused by fluoxetine].

A case study illustrates that even after discontinuation fluoxetine still increases amtitriptyline plasma-levels. This is caused by an inhibition of the metabolism of tricyclics by fluoxetine which was still active due to the long elimination half-life of this substance and its metabolite.

Amitriptyline↗