role of parental expressed emotion in relapse of sehizophrenia

Eighty-seven schizophrenic patients were initially assessed on admission to the hospital, when their parents completed a Camberwell Family Interview, generating "Expressed Emotion" [EE] scores. After nine months, the relapse-rate for the high EE score group [74%] was significantly higher than that of the low EE score group [22%]. The result seems to confirm the relevance of EE score as a predictor for relapse-rate [p<0.05]. In our study, we compare the EE components in parents of schizophrenic patients to that of other countries

role of psychiatric disorders in patients with alopecia areata

A structured psychiatric interview was administered to sixty patients with alopecia areata, [the Diagnostic Interview Schedule; DIS]. Overall 88% had one or more lifetime psychiatric diagnosis with high prevalence rates of major depression [38%], and generalized anxiety disorders [50%]. In addition, patients reports of stressful life events correlated with the onset of illness in 58%. Possible inter-relationships between psychiatric disorders and alopecia areata are discussed. Our study confirms previous reports from other centers, which have suggested that patients with alopecia areata are at an increased risk for psychiatric disorders and calls for attention to psychiatric assessment in this population

survey of behavior pattern: psychosocial stress

Evidence that social and psychological factors are involved in development of coronary heart disease [CHD] has been accumulating over the past few decades. Among the more intensively studied theories is that of the coronary-prone-behavior pattern, called Type A. The main aim of this study is investigation of the relationship between psychological and environmental pressure in the development of CHD in the eastern culture. In this pilot and cross-sectional study, 252 CHD cases and 252 matched controls are exposed to Jenkins Activity Survey [JAS, 1966] and ten defined items of stressful life events, between September 1990 December 1991 in Shiraz, the capital city of Fars province in Iran The findings suggest that JAS scores between the two groups of CHD and NON-CHD subjects reveal no statistical differences but are positively valuable in comparing their stressful life event severity scores P< 0.05