Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/complications , Psychophysiologic Disorders/complications , Sick Role , Adult , Aged , Humans , Middle Aged , Referral and Consultation , RiskABSTRACT
Although women veterans accounted for 4.1 percent of all veterans in 1983, they accounted for only 1.5 percent of all discharges from Veterans Administration hospitals in that year. These data suggest that women veterans are not utilizing their health care benefits as often as male veterans do, possibly because they are choosing to receive health care in non-VA facilities. Furthermore, the patterns of utilization for women veterans suggest a selective use of VA hospitals for serious illnesses that require protracted care. The author explores some possible explanations for this phenomenon and emphasizes the need for the VA health care system to incorporate such information in the planning of health care services for women veterans.
Subject(s)
Health Services Needs and Demand , Health Services Research , Hospitals, Veterans/statistics & numerical data , Veterans , Women , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Medical Assistance , Mental Disorders/therapy , Middle Aged , Sex Factors , United StatesABSTRACT
Five cases are described that offer evidence for the existence of the "serotonin irritation syndrome," an anxiety state associated with high cation environments, elevated serum serotonin, and decreased urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. The therapeutic response and reduction in serum serotonin after treatment with methysergide and/or removal from the high-cation environment support a serotonergic basis of the anxiety.
Subject(s)
Air Ionization , Anxiety Disorders/etiology , Serotonin/blood , Adult , Anxiety Disorders/metabolism , Anxiety Disorders/therapy , Cations , Diarrhea/etiology , Headache/etiology , Humans , Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid/urine , Male , Methysergide/therapeutic use , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Hyperactivity in childhood is a syndrome which has been well described but not so clearly defined in etiology or relationship to adult psychopathology. Two cases are described which suggest that in some instances hyperactive syndrome may be related to a later onset of affective disorder. The clinical and theoretical implications are described.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Bipolar Disorder/psychology , Acting Out , Adolescent , Adult , Bipolar Disorder/genetics , Child , Child Development , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
All patients with a discharged diagnosis of schizo-affective disorder (53 cases) admitted to the University of Iowa Department of Psychiatry during 1971-73, were selected for the present study. Schizophrenia (chronic psychotic disorders) and affective disorders (episodic remitting disorders with affective symptoms) were diagnosed among parents and sibs on the basis of chart material. The frequency of schizophrenia was 0.9%; the frequency of affective disorders, 11.8%. These results were compared to data for the relatives of cases of schizophrenia and affective disorders. There were no significant differences for the rates of schizophrenia among the relatives. The rate of affective disorder among the relatives of the schizo-affectives was significantly higher than for the relatives of schizophrenics (3.2%), and not significantly different from the relatives of affective disorder cases (8.3%). An analysis of outcome, precipitants, and age of admission also support the view that schizo-affective disorder should not be routinely classified as schizophrenia for research purposes.
