Cognitive performance of male adolescents is lower than controls across psychiatric disorders: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Psychiatric patients, as well as humans or experimental animals with brain lesions, often concurrently manifest behavioral deviations and subtle cognitive impairments. This study tested the hypothesis that as a group, adolescents suffering from psychiatric disorders score worse on cognitive tests compared with controls. METHOD: As part of the assessment for eligibility to serve in the military, the entire, unselected population of 16-17-year old male Israelis undergo cognitive testing and screening for psychopathology by the Draft Board. We retrieved the cognitive test scores of 19 075 adolescents who were assigned any psychiatric diagnosis, and compared them with the scores of 243 507 adolescents without psychiatric diagnoses. RESULTS: Mean test scores of cases were significantly poorer then controls for all diagnostic groups, except for eating disorders. Effect sizes ranged from 0.3 to 1.6. CONCLUSION: As group, adolescent males with psychiatric disorders manifest at least subtle impairments in cognitive functioning.

Suicidality and second generation antipsychotics in schizophrenia patients: a case-controlled retrospective study during a 5-year period.

RATIONALE: Rates of attempted suicide for individuals with schizophrenia are approaching 30%. Attempted suicide is among the most potent predictors of subsequent suicide. Several studies suggest that suicide is more likely to occur in patients who are not being adequately treated or not being treated at all. An effort was made in the last decade to evaluate the antisuicide effects of pharmacological treatment in schizophrenia with emphasis on the role of the newer second-generation antipsychotics (SGA). OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess in a large cohort of schizophrenia patients the effects of exposure to SGA on suicidality of patients suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The study is a retrospective case-controlled evaluation over a 5-year period undertaken in a large university affiliated tertiary care psychiatric hospital. METHODS: Between January 1998 and December 2002, all records of admissions of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder patients (ICD-10) were assessed. Data as to age, gender, diagnosis, suicide attempt prior to admission, treatment with antipsychotic medication, dose and duration of treatment (mg daily, duration) with SGA was extracted from patients' files. All patients who had attempted suicide prior to admission were defined as the index group. The case-controlled group was comprised of the next admission of a patient suffering from schizophrenia (or schizoaffective disorder), matched for gender and age, who did not attempt suicide. RESULTS: Records of 756 patients (4486 admissions for said period) were analyzed (56.6% male, mean age 39.1+/-13.5 years). Amongst 378 patients who attempted suicide (index group), 16.1% were exposed to SGA while 37% were exposed in the control group (P=0.0001). The protective effect (odds ratio) of treatment by SGA was 3.54 (95%CI: 2.4-5.3). Risperidone was more frequently prescribed in the control group (54.3%) and had a larger effect-size than olanzapine (3.16 versus 1.76), although not statistically significant. Clozapine was prescribed only to a few patients. CONCLUSIONS: Schizophrenia patients exposed to both risperidone and olanzapine may gain protection from suicidality. The antisuicide effects seem to differ between SGAs. The long duration and large sample size support this finding, despite the retrospective nature of this study.

Generalized cognitive impairment in male adolescents with schizotypal personality disorder.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder (SPD) shares common genetic and biological substrates with schizophrenia, and patients with SPD have been reported to suffer both from specific cognitive impairments, and from a generalized cognitive dysfunction, similar to those found in schizophrenia. The aim of this cross-sectional, population-based study was to assess general cognitive functioning in adolescents with SPD. The Israeli Draft Board systematically assesses cognitive functioning and administers psychiatric screening in all 16-17-year-old males in the population. Of 341,511 males assessed, the cognitive test scores of adolescents with SPD (N = 326) were retrieved, and compared to the scores of adolescents diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia (N = 901), and adolescents with no neurological or psychiatric diagnosis (controls, N = 293,820). Male adolescents with SPD or with schizophrenia scored lower on all measures compared to healthy individuals (effect sizes ranging from 0.6-0.88, all P < 0.001). The SPD patients scored significantly higher than the schizophrenia patients on the sub-tests of similarities and Ravens Progressive Matrices, tests that reflect abstract reasoning. On the sub-tests of arithmetic and instruction comprehension, tests that rely on concentration, SPD and schizophrenia patients' scores did not differ significantly from each other. These results might be interpreted to imply that a generalized cognitive impairment, in the presence of schizotypal personality traits and in the absence of psychosis, might be conceptualized as being the core of the schizotaxia syndrome. The greater impairment in abstract reasoning in the schizophrenia patients might be correlated with the psychotic symptoms that differentiate schizophrenia from SPD.

Time zone change and major psychiatric morbidity: the results of a 6-year study in Jerusalem.

Psychiatric morbidity among foreign tourists is usually connected to external factors such as unfamiliar surroundings, language problems, and special religious experiences, as well as biological factors such as dyschronism of circadian rhythms. Long-range flights through several time zones are typically followed by symptoms of jet lag such as fatigue, severe sleep schedule disturbance, impairment of cognitive functions, and even mild depression. Jet lag is generally attributed to a conflict between external time cues and internal biological rhythms. This study examined the possible association between jet lag and psychiatric morbidity among long-distance travelers hospitalized in the Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Kfar Shaul Hospital between 1993 and 1998. This was a prospective open-label study. Patients (n = 152) were divided into two groups based on the number of time zones crossed in the flight to Israel: group I, seven time zones or more (n = 81); and group II, three time zones or less (n = 71). The direction of flight was mainly eastbound. After controlling the two groups for demographic and religious background, past psychiatric history, and diagnosis on admission (P > 0.1, Fisher's exact test), the possible association between jet lag and psychotic or major affective disorder was evaluated according to the following criteria: (1) absence of major mental problems before the flight or good remission of an existing disorder 1 year or more before flight; and (2) the appearance of psychotic or major affective syndromes during the first 7 days after landing. The number of first psychotic/major affective episodes in both groups presumed as associated with jet lag was found similar (P =.5), whereas the number of relapses conjoint with jet lag in the seven or more time zone group was significantly higher (P =.04). The results suggest that the dyschronism of circadian rhythms and jet lag possibly play a role in the exacerbation of major psychiatric disorders.

The fitness of the mental patient to be a witness.

The determination of whether a patient has criminal responsibility or is able to stand trial is routine psychiatric work. Cases in which we- psychiatrists- are asked to express our opinion on whether a patient can testify, however, are quite rare. We shall attempt to clarify some of the issues relating to the testimony of mentally ill patients through a case presentation. In this case, the Court agreed to consider our patient's testimony, only after receiving our expert opinion. We find that the Court's reversal of its original decision and its willingness to consider the testimony of a mental patient in the same trial in which he was initially found unable to stand trial, marks an important precedent. The question of the credibility of the mental patient as a witness has significance beyond this case concerning mental patients' rights in regard to the judicial system. We believe there is a need for further discussion between psychiatrists andjurists regarding the fitness of the mental patient to testify as a witness.

Psychiatric aspects of jet lag: review and hypothesis.

Jet lag is a travel-induced circadian rhythm phenomenon that afflicts healthy individuals following long- distance flights through several time zones. The typical jet-lag manifestations - insomnia during local sleep time, day fatigue, reduced concentration, irritability, and exhaustion with mild depression - are attributed to transient desynchronization in the circadian rhythm until the internal biological clock is rephased to the new environmental conditions. There is strong evidence relating affective disorders with circadian rhythm abnormalities. Less convincing suggestions relate jet lag to psychosis. It can be hypothesized that in predisposed individuals jet lag may play a role in triggering exacerbation or even de novo affective disorders. Furthermore, we propose the possibility that psychosis and even schizophrenia can be elicited by jet lag. This outlook gains its support from case studies and some common underlying phase-advanced biological denominators involved in both jet lag sufferers and psychotic patients.

[Drug abuse among patients requiring psychiatric hospitalization].

We assessed the incidence of drug abuse among patients requiring psychiatric hospitalization, and characterized the population at risk. The data on drug abuse were obtained from self-reports and urine tests in 103 patients, aged 18-65, hospitalized in the Kfar Shaul Psychiatric Hospital (autumn 1998). There was close correspondence between the self-reports and the results obtained from urine tests. 1/3 admitted to having used illegal drugs and signs of drug abuse were found in about 1/4 of the urine tests. The most prevalent drugs were cannabis products (hashish and/or marijuana) and in 15 patients opiates. Drug users were younger than non-users. With regard to psychiatric symptomatology, fewer negative symptoms were recorded among cannabis abusers with schizophrenia, compared to schizophrenic patients with no history, past or present, of cannabis abuse. The present findings confirm the clinical impression that there has been an increase in drug abuse among mental patients, parallel to that found in society at large. Confirmatory surveys are necessary. Our findings clearly suggest that a change in attitude has occurred in Israel to what has been considered a marginal problem. Hospitalized mentally-ill patients, the younger in particular, should be considered at risk for drug abuse.

[Jet lag causing or exacerbating psychiatric disorders].

Desynchronization of circadian rhythmicity resulting from rapid travel through at least 4 time zones leads to symptoms of jet lag syndrome. The most commonly experienced symptoms in normal individuals are sleep disorders, difficulties with concentrating, irritability, mild depression, fatigue, and gastrointestinal disturbances. There is strong evidence relating affective disorders to circadian rhythm abnormalities, such as occur in jet lag. Less convincing suggestions relate jet lag to psychosis. We presume, relying on the literature and our accumulated experience, that in predisposed individuals jet lag may play a role in triggering exacerbation of, or de novo affective disorders, as well as, though less convincing, schizophreniform psychosis or even schizophrenia. An illustrative case vignette exemplifies the possible relationship between jet lag following eastbound flight and psychotic manifestations.

Adaptation of immigrant psychiatrists from the former Soviet Union in the Department of Mental Health of the Israel Defense Forces.

Psychiatrists from the former Soviet Union serve in the Department of Mental Health of the Israel Defense Forces. The new immigrant psychiatrists confront a wide range of difficulties during the process of integration to the military system and adaptation to the specifically military aspects of psychiatry. These include unfamiliarity with the military system, cultural clashes with the different groups of soldiers representing the various subgroups of the absorbing society, the psychopathology of soldiers, which is different from that seen in civil psychiatry, and the change in focus in the military mental health service, which emphasizes the importance of evaluating ego strength. Arbitrarily, one can describe four stages of adaptation that the immigrant psychiatrist has to pass through before recruitment and during service until adaptation and integration in the new role take place. Individual and group supervision are the main means by which the assimilation process is eased. The military service smooth the acculturation process and has an important role in helping the immigrant's adaptation to Israeli society and in building his or her professional identity.

Jerusalem syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Jerusalem's psychiatrists expect to encounter, as the millennium approaches, an ever-increasing number of tourists who, upon arriving in Jerusalem, may suffer psychotic decompensation. AIMS: To describe the Jerusalem syndrome as a unique acute psychotic state. METHOD: This analysis is based on accumulated clinical experience and phenomenological data consisting of cultural and religious perspectives. RESULTS: Three main categories of the syndrome are identified and described, with special focus on the category pertaining to spontaneous manifestations, unconfounded by previous psychotic history or psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: The discrete form of the Jerusalem syndrome is related to religious excitement induced by proximity to the holy places of Jerusalem, and is indicated by seven characteristic sequential stages.

Clozapine and risperidone: combination/augmentation treatment of refractory schizophrenia: a preliminary observation.

OBJECTIVE: Clozapine and risperidone were the first two antipsychotic drugs of a new class of agents for the pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia. It has been suggested that refractory schizophrenic patients who fail to respond to neither clozapine nor risperidone may respond to a combination/augmentation strategy of both medicaments. METHOD: Three cases of individuals with unremittent schizophrenia treated via this combination are presented. Response was evaluated by clinical follow-up and PANSS rating scale. RESULTS: Good clinical results with no noticeable adverse side effects, ascertained by a reduction from baseline scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were obtained in all three patients. CONCLUSION: The findings from this pilot study suggest this combination as a possible therapeutic approach for treating resistant schizophrenic patients.

First psychotic episodes among Israeli youth during military service.

The military setting offers unique opportunities for the study of the epidemiology of first psychotic episodes among Israeli youth. The aim of the present study was to describe characteristics of first psychotic episodes among a cohort of Israeli soldiers. Ninety soldiers, 67 males and 23 females, who were hospitalized for a first psychotic episode were studied and compared with 90 soldiers hospitalized in psychiatric units during the same year who were not psychotic. The results include a high rate of schizophreniform psychoses and schizophrenia; no gender difference in the occurrence of psychoses; within-average mean ratings on the preinduction psychometric intelligence test; no history of substance abuse; and a remarkable occurrence of psychiatric hospitalizations, including first psychotic episodes, during the stressful beginning of military service, supporting the hypothesis that psychotic symptoms are likely to occur in a stressful situation among vulnerable individuals. Follow-up studies will indicate whether early detection and treatment may improve the outcome of the psychoses.

Withdrawal from clozapine: the "rebound phenomenon".

Clozapine is an "atypical" antipsychotic agent for treating previously resistant schizophrenic patients. Its main advantages over "typical" neuroleptics are low incidence of extrapyramidal side effects and its capacity to induce therapeutic response in previously treated refractory patients. However, withdrawal from clozapine has been observed to lead to "atypical" clinical characteristics or a "rebound phenomenon," manifested in two interwoven clinical forms: (1) psychotic exacerbation, and (2) cholinergic rebound. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism of this phenomenon is postulated to be a result of cholinergic supersensitivity. In this paper, the "rebound phenomenon" will be discussed and exemplified by three case histories in which abrupt cessation of clozapine led to serious deterioration and psychotic exacerbation, and one case in which gradual titration from the drug was employed in order to preempt this hazardous occurrence.

[The current compulsory hospitalization order and patients' rights].

Israel's "Treatment of Mentally Sick Persons Law" of 1955 was repealed and replaced by the "Treatment of Mental Patients Law" of 1991. Under the latter, the "Compulsory Hospitalization Order" (CHO) defines the new order based on accumulated experience with the old legislation, and on the philosophy that considers the CHO one of the most severely oppressive forms of deprivation of human liberty and rights. The new order sets limits and boundaries for CHO, guarding the rights of those unavoidably committed by force. According to the new law, the district psychiatrist decides upon and issues the order, while the tribunal (District Psychiatric Committee) considers appeals. The order is limited to 1 week, with an option for the district psychiatrist to prolong it on written request for up to 14 days. The tribunal can later prolong the order further. The objective of this study was to review changes that have occurred following enforcement of the new law in the Jerusalem district. A comparison was made between CHO's issued the year before the new legislation took effect and the year after. The comparison included review of all CHO's and medical files of all patients hospitalized by coercion during 1990 and 1992. It was assumed that there would be a decline in rate and length of hospitalization of patients forced to be committed by the new law. The main findings refuted this hypothesis. In 1992 there was an increase of 38% in the number of compulsory hospitalizations. This increase derived mainly from increased demands for CHO's from psychiatric emergency rooms. There was also an increase in patients hospitalized by order of the District Psychiatric Committee using its authority under section 10(C) of the law. Conversely, length of compulsory hospitalization was shorter under the new law. In light of these findings, it would seem that the new law has only partially fulfilled expectations of reform in individual rights. There is need for further evaluation and follow-up of the CHO in order to determine whether the "Treatment of Mental Patients Law" of 1991 has in fact fulfilled its objectives. Furthermore, it is necessary to determine means, medical or legal, that may possibly advance further the prospective of human rights while maintaining a suitable balance between civil liberties and clinical needs, of over-confinement versus under-treatment, which may lead to neglect or danger.

[Quality assurance in the mental health department of the Israel Defense Forces].

A review of quality assurance in the mental health department of the Israel Defence Forces allowed the examination of certain unique elements of quality control which pertain to the military. These include the psychiatric medical board, the computerized documentation of appointments and sessions with soldiers, the psychiatric hospitalization database, control systems implemented in the draft boards, peer-review boards and supervision, and a special officer in charge of handling outside consultations and queries. There were other components of quality assurance and control as well. These instruments are vital in a dynamic system constantly striving to improve clinical performance. Future plans include the continued use and expansion of quality control boards, the inclusion of quality assurance in the curriculum of mental health officers, and the use of clinical guidelines in working with soldiers. All of this is in keeping with the principle of continuous quality improvement, with the aim of viewing the soldier in need of help as a client.

[Symptom severity among chronic schizophrenics in hospital and in the community].

We compared severity of symptoms of chronic schizophrenics in a psychiatric hospital with those treated in its outpatient clinics. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Mini-Mental State examination were used to assess the schizophrenic symptoms and cognitive performance, respectively, of 25 chronic schizophrenic inpatients matched for gender, age and education with 25 chronic schizophrenic outpatients. The Global Assessment Scale and the Clinical Global Impression Scale were used to test global functioning. Assessment included psychiatric and medical history and treatment and demographic characteristics. In-patients had significantly more positive, negative and general psychiatric symptoms. Their cognitive and general functioning were impaired. Most in-patients also had medical problems. Age of onset of schizophrenia among the in-patients was younger. Results show a marked difference in severity of symptoms and level of functioning between chronic schizophrenic in-patients and out-patients. These differences should be considered in the planning of discharge of chronic in-patients from psychiatric hospitals into the community.

Characteristics of suicidal attempts in major depression versus adjustment reactions.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this present study was to compare the characteristics of suicidal attempts of patients with major depression (MD) and adjustment reaction (AR). METHOD: Sixty-nine patients with MD and 86 with AR admitted to the Moscow Institute of Emergency Help after the first suicide attempts were studied. All the attempters were interviewed by at least by two psychiatrists and the diagnosis was made according to agreement and to ICD-9CM criteria. RESULTS: Differences between the two groups were found with regard to social-demographic, clinical-psychological and suicidal characteristics: the AR patients were less educated, had lower social status and in most cases were unmarried, compared with the MD patients. A large number (51.2% of the attempters in the AR group and 34.8% in the MD group) had an unstable parental family, early orphanhood or an emotionally deprived childhood. No differences were found in the methods of the suicidal attempts between the groups. Suicidal attempts under alcohol abuse occurred more often among the AR group (34.9 vs. 10.1%). The interval from the beginning of the disorder until the suicidal attempt was significantly shorter within the AR group. In this group the suicidal attempts were not planned, in comparison with the MD group. LIMITATION: The sample is a selected study, because the research included only inpatients with AR and MD after their first suicidal attempt. CONCLUSION: We believe that our data may be important for improving the assessment of suicidal risk and in planning treatment strategies for prevention of repeated suicidal attempts.