Association between post-dexamethasone cortisol level and blood pressure in depressed inpatients

Article Abstract:

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a complicated, integrated physiological network that releases hormones that cause the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol. Many studies have demonstrated hyperactivity of the HPA axis in some depressed patients. A technique to determine HPA activity involves the dexamethasone suppression test (DST), which measures the ability of dexamethasone to suppress the HPA axis for 24 hours. Excessive cortisol (hypercortisolism) is found in patients with Cushing's syndrome, a disorder which can include hypertension, depression, mania, and extreme confusion. To evaluate whether depressed patients with elevated post-DST serum cortisol levels (nonsuppressors) demonstrate any symptoms of Cushing's disease, 235 depressed inpatients (156 women and 79 men who were primarily Caucasian) were given the DST. Blood pressure (BP), admission weight, age and various factors influenced by HPA activity were assessed (e.g., serum glucose, sodium, and white blood cell count). DST status was found to be significantly related to BP: nonsuppressors averaged much higher systolic and diastolic pressure. Older age and heavier body weight were also related to hypertension. Almost twice as many nonsuppressors were hypertensive. DST results for the depressed patients were similar in nature but much milder than those for Cushing's patients. Cortisol levels were not significantly related to serum glucose, sodium, or potassium levels. However, a significant relationship was found between nonsuppressor status and low white blood cell count. Findings suggest that depressed nonsuppressors may be at risk for cardiovascular and immune-related disease. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Hypertension, Physiological aspects, Depression, Mental, Depression (Mood disorder), Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, Adrenal gland diseases, Pituitary hormone releasing factors, Pituitary hormone releasing hormones

---

Dependency and eating disorders in female psychiatric inpatients

Article Abstract:

Dependency, as a personality trait, has been shown to be a factor in eating disorders such as obesity, anorexia nervosa (self-starvation), and bulimia (episodes of gorging, followed by induced vomiting or fasting). To learn more concerning the relationship between dependency and eating disorders, 51 female psychiatric inpatients were studied. Sixteen were eating-disordered (anorectic or bulimic), 18 were obese, and 17 were of normal weight without eating disorders. Patients' levels of dependency were assessed with Masling's Dependency Scale and the Rorschach ('ink-blot') test. Results showed that a greater proportion of anorectic and bulimic patients than patients in the other groups reported dependency-related images in the Rorschach test. These were defined as images relating to (among others) gifts and gift givers, good luck symbols, passivity, helplessness, pregnancy, and reproductive anatomy. No differences were found among the three groups for the proportion of images that were food/mouth-related (food and drinks, food sources, food objects). The failure to observe a relationship between obesity and either the food/mouth or dependency images was surprising. The findings suggest that dependency may play an important role in the etiology of eating disorders. Directions for further research concerning this issue are outlined. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Complications and side effects, Eating disorders, Psychotherapy patients, Dependency (Psychology)

---

Characteristics of psychiatric inpatients who assault staff severely

Article Abstract:

An attempt to develop a way of predicting which psychiatric patients are likely to violently assault staff members is described. Information regarding the demographic, clinical, and situational variables associated with severely assaultive patients was collected and analyzed for one state psychiatric hospital during a two-year period. Severe assaults were those that led to a staff member's losing five or more working days. One hundred cases, involving 80 patients (half of whom were men), were identified. A significant positive relationship was found between the number of days lost from work by injured staff members and the prescription of anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs) for the patient committing the assault. When incidents were grouped according to days lost, the patients' admission status (voluntary or involuntary) was associated with severity: voluntary admissions tended to engage in more severe assaults. Patients who were diagnosed as having a personality disorder were also more likely to have carried out the most severe assaults. The findings are interpreted to indicate that patients who do not exert internal controls on their behavior, or who rebel strongly against imposed controls, are more likely to inflict serious injury on staff members. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Crimes against, Statistics, Psychiatric hospital patients, Psychiatric aides, Violence in psychiatric hospitals

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: The relationship between parental anger and behavior problems in children and adolescents. Parental warmth, control, and indulgence and their relations to adjustment in Chinese children: A longitudinal study
• Abstracts: Relation between catastrophizing and depression in chronic pain patients. Perceptions of parental relationships in the eating disorders: the relevance of depressed mood
• Abstracts: Treatment impressions and termination experiences with borderline patients
• Abstracts: Thyroid function and ultrasonically determined thyroid size in patients receiving long-term lithium treatment
• Abstracts: Cardiovascular effects of bupropion in depressed patients with heart disease. Left prefrontal glucose hypometabolism in the depressed state: a confirmation

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.