[Epidemiological study of patients and suicidal patients admitted to a psychiatric emergency department of a general hospital]. / Etude épidémiologique des patients et suicidants admis aux urgences psychiatriques d'un hôpital général.

The present study involves a review of all patients who visited the Emergency Psychiatric Service during the period from December, 6, 1993 to June, 5, 1994. A questionnaire was proposed to 1073 subjects (57.2% females; 42.8% males; mean age = 36.6). Demographic data, familial and personal characteristics, previous contacts with professional health services, and diagnosis (DSM III R criteria) were collected. 52% of them were self-attempters, younger than the general population and more frequently females (61.5%). The parasuicides were more frequent in their families and in their personal past history. The previous contacts with health services (hospitalizations, consultations) were more frequent among patients who were admitted for psychological and/or psychiatric problems. 54% of self-attempters were repeating suicidal patients. There were more depressive disorders, parasuicides and drug/alcohol abuse in their families. A logistic regression analysis (stepwise) revealed the role of these factors in the repetition of parasuicides. This study supports the significance of a better knowledge of the potential significant factors for parasuicide. Preventive measures are necessary.

[Anatomo-clinical and neurochemical aspects of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease]. / A propos des aspects anatomo-cliniques et neuro-chimiques de la maladie de Pelizaeus-Merzbacher.

The classification of the diffuse cerebral sclerosis has been possible because of the new advances in biochemical and histochemical studies of myelin and of neuropathological findings. The enzymatic disturbances in metachromatic leucodystrophy and in Krabbe's disease were determined. That allowed the definition of new diagnostic methods, safe and no traumatic. About the sudanophilic leucodystrophy, it is, even now, more doubtful: in this paper, we compared the data of own two observations of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher's disease with the 52 cases from the literature.