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Biomedical subjects

S Kutcher

Publications and source records attributed to S Kutcher.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Specificity of psychoanalytic hypotheses regarding the onset of adolescent psychoses: an empirical test of a psychodynamic model.

The specificity of psychodynamic hypotheses regarding the onset of adolescent psychosis was assessed in a group of rigorously diagnosed psychotic (N = 75) and depressed (N = 53) adolescents. None of the four operationally defined psychodynamic hypotheses purported to be etiologically specific in the onset of adolescent psychotic illness: success and its opportunities; intimacy and its attempts; intent to act autonomously; or involved in insight-oriented psychotherapy was more commonly observed in the psychotic than the depressed group, thereby not supporting the hypotheses. The consequences of this finding are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Substance abuse among adolescents with chronic mental illnesses: a pilot study of descriptive and differentiating features.

Twenty-six adolescents with a chronic mental illness (schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder of at least 1.5 years' duration) were assessed for the presence or absence of comorbid substance abuse. The two groups were compared on a number of variables believed to identify or predict substance abuse. The substance abusing subgroup were significantly different in levels of social functioning, school achievement, premorbid substance abuse, having parents or siblings who abused substances, dysfunctional families, cigarette smoking, number of hospital admissions, and emergency room visits. These findings are discussed in the context of clinical issues regarding the management of adolescents with chronic mental illnesses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents: clinical and related issues in pharmacological treatment.

Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents are receiving more attention from clinicians and researchers. Psychopharmacological approaches to controlling symptoms of anxiety are possible as part of a multi-model treatment approach. This paper provides an overview of some recent findings in child and adolescent anxiety disorders that may influence treatment decisions. It also reviews studies of the use of benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants in treating children and adolescents who suffer from anxiety disorders, and suggests methods of integrating pharmacological treatment with other modalities in these disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

REM latency in endogenously depressed adolescents.

Twenty-three adolescents with DSM-III major depressive disorder (endogenous subtype) and 23 normal controls were studied polysomnographically (PSG). The depressed group showed significantly shortened REM latencies (P = 0.005) and longer sleep latencies (P = 0.04). No other PSG measures differentiated the two groups. The implications of these findings for adolescent depression are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Affective disorders in first-degree relatives of adolescent onset bipolars, unipolars, and normal controls.

Two hundred and fifty-nine first-degree relatives of 23 adolescent bipolars (81 relatives); 26 unipolars (95 relatives); and 24 normal controls (83 relatives) were assessed for the presence of affective disorders, using the family history method. First-degree relatives of bipolar probands were significantly more likely to have a bipolar illness than those of unipolar probands (p = 0.03) and normal controls (p = 0.001). Rates of unipolar depression in first-degree relatives of bipolars and unipolars were not significantly different but differed significantly between bipolars and normals (p = 0.002) and unipolars and normals (p = 0.006). The implications of these findings for clinical work, diagnosis, and research in adolescents with affective disorders are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Nocturnal cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, and growth hormone secretory profiles in depressed adolescents.

Twelve depressed adolescents and 12 controls matched for age, sex, Tanner stage, time of menstrual cycle (females), weight, and time of year assessed were studied over 3 nights. Measurements for cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, and growth hormone were made on serum collected at 10 P.M., 12 midnight, 1 A.M., 2 A.M., 3 A.M., 4 A.M., and 6 A.M. in eight pairs and every 20 minutes from 8 P.M. to 7 A.M. in four pairs. Cortisol secretion did not significantly differentiate the groups. Thyroid stimulating hormone secretion was significantly elevated in the depressed group at one time point. Growth hormone secretion significantly differentiated the two groups at most time points, and the depressed adolescents significantly hypersecreted growth hormone (area under the curve). Implications for the diagnosis, etiology, and treatment of adolescent depression are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Diagnostic utility of the Beck Depression Inventory with adolescent psychiatric outpatients and inpatients.

The utility of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for differentiating adolescents with depressive disorders from adolescents with non affective psychiatric disorders was examined using a sample of 93 psychiatric outpatients and 26 inpatients. The Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA) was administered to establish the patients' diagnosis. Psychiatric diagnoses were made by experienced clinicians who used all available information on the patient. The BDI scores discriminated between patients with depressive disorders and patients with non affective psychiatric disorders. This differentiation was true for boys and girls, outpatients and inpatients. The classification accuracy of the instrument was 75% at thresholds of 11 and 16 on the scale. The results indicate that the BDI is a useful instrument for screening for depression in adolescents, and can also be used in conjunction with other tests. However, the BDI by itself is inadequate to establish a diagnosis of depression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Response to desipramine treatment in adolescent major depression.

Thirty adolescents (ages 15-20) who met DSM-III-R criteria for major depressive disorder completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week, fixed-dose (200 mg daily) study of desipramine (DMI). Thirty-three percent of the placebo group and 50 percent of the DMI group improved (greater than or equal to 50% change on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression). Subjective reports of adverse effects did not significantly differentiate the two groups. Major adverse effects, necessitating study discontinuation, occurred solely in the DMI group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Feeling states during adolescence.

Adolescence is characterized by a wide variety of feeling states with certain stages in adolescence being associated with particularly strong affects, a result of the normative developmental process. Affective psychopathology during the adolescent years, particularly in the disorders of depression and mania/hypomania, is characterized by abnormalities in the quality and quantity of affective patterns and additionally by the appearance of feeling states, which may be historically uncharacteristic for the teen (i.e., out of keeping with his previous longitudinal pattern of personality development). Clinicians faced with assessing disturbances in feeling states during the adolescent years must carefully distinguish fluctuating developmental problems from clinical syndromes. A longitudinal assessment period is usually necessary before this distinction can be made with some certainty. The prescription of treatment, be it psychologic, biologic, or systems based, should await the completion of a careful clinical assessment prior to its institution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Personality dysfunction in depressed adolescents.

The personality characteristics of 35 consecutively assessed adolescents who met the DSM-III criteria for a current depressive disorder were assessed using independent structured interviews and paper and pencil measures. Sixty-five percent of the sample met the criteria for an Axis II personality disorder. The single most common diagnosis was borderline personality disorder (30%). Depressed adolescents with a concurrent personality disorder were less self-confident, displayed more neuroticism, and were emotionally reliant on others. They also demonstrated greater cognitive distortion. Teenagers who present with a depressive disorder warrant a comprehensive personality assessment. The combination of affective and personality disorder in such patients is associated with attitudes and interpersonal problems which should be therapeutically addressed in addition to symptomatic treatment of the depressed mood. Clinicians should be aware that depressed adolescents with personality disorder may be more likely to make a suicide attempt.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Successful clonazepam treatment of neuroleptic-induced akathisia in older adolescents and young adults: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of clonazepam in the treatment of neuroleptic-induced akathisia in older adolescents, clonazepam was significantly more effective at reducing akathisia scores at the end of the first treatment week than placebo (p less than 0.0001). Clonazepam may be a safe and effective treatment for neuroleptic-induced akathisia in this age group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Thyroid function and bipolar affective disorder.

Thyroid function tests and life course of illness were evaluated in 42 patients with bipolar affective disorder who had received at least 3 months of lithium carbonate treatment. Eight of 42 patients (19%) required thyroid replacement or had evidence of subclinical hypothyroidism associated with lithium treatment. Abnormalities of thyroid function were related to female sex and duration of lithium treatment but not to a rapid-cycling course of illness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Increased plasma LH in manic-depressive illness: evidence of a state-independent abnormality.

Basal plasma luteinising hormone concentrations and the LH responses to LH-releasing hormone injection were higher in 11 young men after recovery from mania than in 15 control subjects. Since plasma concentrations of testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin were similar in the recovered manic compared with the control subjects, the increased LH response to LHRH is likely to have been due to the priming effect of LHRH consequent on an increased release of LHRH into hypophysial portal vessel blood. Abnormal control of LHRH, and thereby LH release, is a state-independent feature in male patients with mania and may be a useful trait marker for this disorder.

Adult↗