Gender differences in the specificity of alcoholism transmission among the relatives of opioid addicts

Article Abstract:

Over the last 25 years, researchers have found support for the notion that there is a genetic contribution to alcoholism. Comparative evidence for familial factors that contribute to nonalcoholic drug addiction, however, is sparse: some studies have found alcoholism in parents and siblings of narcotic addicts, and alcoholism has been seen in the biological parents of drug abusers raised apart from their biological home. The current study uses data from a family study of 201 opioid (heroin) addicts and their 877 first-degree relatives to determine, first, if there is specific familial transmission of substance abuse, and, second, if there are gender differences. About 60 percent of the opioid addicts were or had been alcoholics (121 subjects) and their first-degree relatives had a higher rate of alcoholism than the relatives of nonalcoholic opioid abusers. This suggests that there is some specificity in the inheritance of alcoholism. Fathers of female alcoholic addicts were twice as likely to be alcoholic than fathers of nonalcoholic female addicts (27 percent versus 56 percent), and mothers of female alcoholic addicts were seven times more likely to be alcoholic than mothers of nonalcoholic addicts (4 percent versus 28 percent). The rates of sibling alcoholism were higher for males. There was an overall alcoholism rate of 26 percent among relatives of the opioid addicts studied. For females, there was a striking difference between maternal and paternal rates of alcoholism suggestive of an increased rate of substance abuse in female relatives of female alcoholics. Overall, the results support the theory that transmission of alcoholism occurs in the family but specificity may be greater for men than for women. Transmission for women may include a (less specific) tendency to either alcohol or drug addiction. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Demographic aspects, Diseases, Alcoholism, Disease transmission, Family, Alcoholics

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Pharmacotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder using phenelzine or imipramine

Article Abstract:

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common and can result from exposure to extreme trauma, such as natural disasters, or stressful situations, such as combat. The psychiatric treatment of PTSD has not been well researched. The present study compares the use of imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, with phenelzine, an antidepressant called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, in the treatment of PTSD. Subjects were 60 Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD, of which 23 received 200 milligrams (mg) to 300 mg of imipramine, 19 received 60 mg to 75 mg of phenelzine, and 18 received placebo. Groups were similar on all variables. Treatment continued for an eight-week period and several rating scales were used to gauge the effects of drug therapy. Both imipramine and phenelzine were found to significantly improve symptoms of anxiety associated with PTSD. However, symptoms of avoidance, such as emotional numbing or distance from loved ones, and symptoms of intrusion, such as flashbacks and nightmares, improved more significantly with phenelzine than with imipramine or placebo. Phenelzine was therefore the superior of the two drugs in treating symptoms of PTSD. It is recommended that a more severely ill population be tested so generalizability of the results for the overall treatment of PTSD can be determined. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Evaluation, Drug therapy, Antidepressants, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Imipramine, Psychopharmacology

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Serum thyroxine levels in schizophrenic and affective disorder diagnostic subgroups

Article Abstract:

Blood and body thyroxine (hormone which increases cell metabolism) levels were measured at two-week intervals in 29 male hospitalized mental patients. The patients had one of the following disorders: paranoid schizophrenia, which involves distorted thinking and obsessions; undifferentiated schizophrenia, which involves distorted thinking; manic bipolar disorder, which involves excessive mood swings; or major endogenous depressive disorder, which involves internally caused depression. During recovery, 75 percent of the paranoid schizophrenics, but only four percent of the other patients, experienced a rise in total body thyroxine. Blood thyroxine increased during recovery in half the paranoid schizophrenics but in only 14 percent of the other patients. Total body thyroxine levels were different in the bipolar manic patients and the paranoid schizophrenics at the time of admission, which may help to diagnose these disorders. Studies should be conducted on the importance of thyroxine levels within the normal range and on the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and changes in thyroxine levels.

Psychological aspects, Diagnosis, Causes of, Depression, Mental, Depression (Mood disorder), Affective disorders, Mood disorders, Schizophrenia, Thyroxine

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