Impact of Hurricane Rita storm surge on sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) management in Louisiana.

Twelve thousand to 16,000 ha of Louisiana sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) fields were flooded by saltwater from the Hurricane Rita storm surge in September 2005. A four treatment, 12-replication study comparing storm surge flooded and nonflooded plant and ratoon sugarcane fields was conducted during summer 2006 to assess sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), pest severity, pest control actions, and soil-associated arthropod abundance and diversity. Even with a significant 2.4-fold increase in the average number of insecticide applications used for D. saccharalis management in flooded fields, growers still incurred higher injury. A significant 2.8-fold reduction in the predaceous red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, was associated with the storm surge, whereas no reduction in abundance of other soil-associated arthropods was recorded. Arthropod diversity measured by the Shannon diversity index significantly increased by a factor of 1.3 in sugarcane fields flooded by the storm surge. Increase in D. saccharalis pest severity associated with the storm surge caused an estimated loss in revenue between $1.9 and $2.6 million to the Louisiana sugarcane industry for the 2006 production season.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy of panic disorder with secondary major depression: a preliminary investigation.

Controlled studies indicate that cognitive-behavioral therapy eliminates panic attacks in greater than 80% of patients who suffer from panic disorder. However, because most of the screening procedures used in those studies called for excluding patients who were depressed, a question arises as to the extent to which these results apply to patients who are clinically depressed in addition to having panic attacks. Accordingly, an attempt was made in the present study to determine whether or not panic patients who are clinically depressed could be treated as successfully as those who are not clinically depressed. Two multiple baseline A-A1-A-B across-subjects designs were used, one to test 8 panic Ss with major depression and the second to test 7 panic Ss without major depression. In Baseline (A), Ss monitored their panic attacks daily. During the A1 phase, a program of information on panic attacks presented as psychotherapy was instituted to assess the effects of nonspecific factors, followed by a second baseline phase (A). Cognitive-behavioral therapy (B) was then introduced. Results showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy was significantly superior to information-based therapy in the reduction of panic attacks. No significant differences were found between depressed and nondepressed patients.

[Who are the patients treated in an outpatient clinic with high dosage neuroleptics?]. / Qui sont les patients traités en clinique externe avec des doses élevées de neuroleptiques?

The use of high doses of neuroleptics (NL) in treatment of chronic psychosis is a controversial subject in the literature. In this context, it is surprising to note the lack of objective data about the prevalence and the consequences concerning this mode of prescription when treating people suffering from severe mental disorders. This study describes the clientele exposed to high doses of NL from an outpatient clinic of a psychiatric hospital. The equivalent of 18 mg or more of haloperidol per day was used as the high dose criterion. Overall, we observed the use of NL in all diagnostic categories and the frequent use of polypharmacy in patients treated with NL. Among the 435 patients receiving NL, 26.4% had high dose prescriptions (two men for every woman). Most of these high dose NL subjects had a diagnosis of schizophrenic disorder (87.9%). Fifty-one of them had been receiving high doses for six months or more and 39 of them agreed to meet our research team. The mean age of these subjects was 37.2 years and the mean dose was 63.5 mg haloperidol equivalent/day. Thirty-five subjects were diagnosed as chronic schizophrenic disorder and four as schizo-affective disorder. Nineteen patients had tardive dyskinesia. In two out of three cases the high dose prescription began during hospitalization and the main reason was presence of severe psychotic symptoms. Significant positive correlations were found between parkinsonian symptoms and negative symptoms of schizophrenia as well as psychosocial dysfunctions on 39 subjects. These findings support the hypothesis that the use of high doses of NL contribute to the negative symptoms and the psychosocial dysfunctions. The implications of these findings relating to assessment and treatment of schizophrenic outpatients are discussed.

[Identifying mental health service needs of persons with schizophrenia]. / Combler les besoins de services de santé mentale des personnes atteintes de schizophrénie.

The present study aimed to identify the needs and describe the use of twenty mental health services in a population of chronic schizophrenic patients living in two regions in Quebec (Estrie and Centre-Sud). An attempt was also made to determine the principal reasons for which some services were not being used when they were identified as clinically required. The population considered was composed of the patients (N = 88) who had been discharged from the psychiatric care units of five general hospitals over a period of five months in 1982, and for whom the attending psychiatrist could confirm with certainty a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia in accordance with the criteria of DSM-III. Medical files of these patients were reviewed, and the patients and psychiatrists themselves were interviewed separately regarding the patients' needs and use of twenty mental health services over the period from the seventh to the twelfth month after discharge from hospital. Results of the study show that services which were most often identified as clinically required were: 1) taking of neuroleptics, 2) organization of leisure activities, 3) case management, and 4) individual supportive therapy. At the same time, results indicate a poor fit between needs and use for most of rehabilitation and psychosocial services. The main reasons for non-use of services which were identified as clinically required are also presented. The implications of these results for the organization of mental health services for persons suffering from chronic schizophrenia are discussed, especially the importance of case management services.

[Needs and utilization of mental health services in schizophrenia]. / Besoins et utilisation de services de santé mentale dans la schizophrénie.

The planning of mental health treatment for people with severe mental disorders constitutes a major public health problem and an important social challenge. This study aims to identify the needs and to describe the utilisation of 20 services or modalities of mental health treatment among a schizophrenic population living in the Estrie region of Quebec. The results confirm that the needs are great and show that the most important deficiencies are in the psychosocial and readaptation services. The implications of these results with regard to the organisation of mental health services for schizophrenics are briefly discussed.