Premenstrual dysphoric disorder--review of actual findings about mental disorders related to menstrual cycle and possibilities of their therapy.

It is known that mood disorders in women explicitly relates to estrogen production. Except for these findings phenomenon as Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, directly connected to menstrual cycle in women, is widely discussed. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a set of subjectively unpleasant mental and somatic symptoms. It appears in luteal phase of ovarian cycle. During menstruation it remits and disappears up to one week from its termination. DSM IV classified PMDD into the category of "Other specific depressive disorders" and further revision DSM IV-TR classifies PMDD as a separate strictly defined psychiatric diagnosis. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) does not include any specific category as PMDD or similar. The closest category F38.8 does not represent the core of the phenomenon because it relates only to general depressive symptomatology and does not give specific diagnostic criteria to menstrual cycle related mood disorders (Grady-Weliky, 2003). In the presented article, possible effectivity of PMDD treatment with the focus to antidepressants of SSRI type (Serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors) is discussed. In spite of interesting and significant findings, the treatment of PMDD and accordingly PMS is above all multidisciplinary question and it must be treated like that.

Imprisonment and its influence on psychobiological needs.

This article presents results of two research studies which focus on the analyses of specific needs associated with members of a delinquent subculture and the psychological alterations which occur as a result of adaptation to their imprisonment. In the first case, the specificity and differences in the area of needs were determined by content analysis of prison correspondence and further by means of an analysis of content association as reactions to a complex of incomplete sentences. The differences have been ascertained by virtue of factors that are considered significant from the point of view of delinquency and potential recidivism. A great deal of attention is focussed on prisonisation as a specific adaptation to imprisonment and its influence on the dissimilarity in the structure of the needs of those prisoners investigated. The results of both investigations facilitate mutual comparison. They also partially refer to the discriminating capability of the applied methods. The findings and results are applicable in penitentiary practice and are significant for the practical application by psychologists and other specialists in their work with offenders.

Somatic and endocrinological changes in non medicated ADHD children.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorders and it constitutes a group of developmental disorders, which are characterized by inadequate level of attention, excessive activity and impulsivity. In connection with neurological and endocrinological changes, children with ADHD can show also changes in the growth and development without consequence to the medication. Differences were found especially in higher weight and BMI. Very few studies were done on this topic and the results of the studies are very different, methods are heterogeneous and insufficient. The most serious absence is the much reduced number of anthropometrics and other characteristics and parameters. Studies usually analyse only BMI, height and weight and do not take into account socio-economic characteristics, feeding customs and other important factors. Many studies are done on changes in growth only associated with medical treatment of children ADHD. However changes in the development and growth can be a manifestation of the disorder itself. Authors of this paper review studies which monitor changes in the development of children with ADHD and compare their results.

Cholesterol concentrations in violent and non-violent women suicide attempters.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether women with a history of violent suicide attempts have lower serum cholesterol concentrations than those who attempted suicide by non-violent methods. Our retrospective study used a case-control design to compare serum total cholesterol concentration, hematocrit, red blood cell count and body mass index (BMI) in women with a history of violent (n = 19) or non-violent (n = 51) suicide attempts and of non-suicidal controls (n = 70) matched by diagnosis and age. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age as the covariate was used to analyze differences in cholesterol levels in groups according to violence. Violence was found to be a significant factor (P = 0.016). Using the Scheffé test, a significant difference (P = 0.011) was revealed between the group of violent and non-violent suicide attempters and between the violent suicide attempters and the control group. Patients with a violent suicidal attempt have significantly lower cholesterol levels than patients with non-violent attempts and the control subjects. Our findings suggest that suicide attempts should not be considered a homogeneous group. They are consistent with the theory that low levels of cholesterol are associated with increased tendency for impulsive behavior and aggression and contribute to a more violent pattern of suicidal behavior.

"Epileptosis"--a syndrome or useless speculation?

102 patients were divided into 3 groups: epileptics, psychotics and epileptics with psychotic symptoms. All had long been monitored for a number of clinical and laboratory parameters. Though different in many respects, all share states of sudden dysphoria, cacophoria, panic anxiety, horror, and EEG (stereo-EEG, too) signs of epileptic or other gross anomalies, often correlated to those affective disorders. Attacks of dysphoria, epilepsy, and psychosis come spontaneously and in response to biological (hypoglycemia, sleep deprivation, alcohol, menses) or psychosocial stimulation (agitation, quarrels, fear of redundancy, psychic trauma). These states (attacks, dysphoria, "neurotic" or even psychotic episodes) often provoke one another. -Calling this syndrome epileptosis, we believe its mechanism is due to lesions of the limbic and brainstem modulation systems. At the start of the process there is an epileptic focus in the amygdalo-hippocampal complex (AHC) which in itself can trigger simple or complex partial paroxysm but also-by means of electric stimulation of the AHC-states of dysphoria, anxiety, and psychotic hallucinations. Besides, a form of pathological learning develops in premorbid "hypersensitive" personality which can be put down to associative learning and to Overton's phenomenon of "state-dependent retention of learned responses". This may give rise to mutual stimulation where epileptic focal activity in AHC can provoke dysphoria while an external psychosocial situation can trigger epileptic activity there, too (AHC). Since there need not always be mydriasis (though other vegetative signs such as tachycardia, tachypnoea, nausea, blush and others are frequent) or unconsciousness, and some psychomotor manifestations may be out of the ordinary, and scalp EEG may be normal, such patients are often regarded as "hysterics" or malingerers.

Circadian changes of the SIgA, lysozyme, albumin and copper content of saliva.

The authors investigated SigA, Lysozyme (muramidase), albumin and copper levels in the saliva of sixteen children in the course of the day. A total of nine blood samples was taken in three-hour intervals from each child. Statistically highly significant changes were found in SIgA with a minimal average at 11 a.m. and maximum at 5 a.m. In albumin the maximum was recorded already at 11 p.m., while the minumum was at 11 a.m. The changes of copper values were different, with the maximum at 11 a.m. and minimum at 2 a.m., with smallest individual differences of mean daily levels. Lysozyme displayed an individual variability of levels and the lowest correlation with the investigated rhythms. A statistically significant difference was found only between samples collected during day- and night time. The findings are discussed from the aspects of other relations which might influence the assessed values.