Characteristics of users of counseling centers and psychiatric services on a college campus.

Administered the School and College Ability Test, Omnibus Personality Inventory, and SVIB to 1,761 male and 1,292 female incoming university freshmen. After Ss graduated 4 yrs later, university mental health service records were examined to determine the characteristics, by sex, of Ss who had contacted the counseling center only, the psychiatric service only, both, or neither. Despite attrition during this period, approximately 1/3 of the Ss were users, with proportionally more females than males. In terms of characteristics measured at entrance, all 4 groups differed on the 3 instruments employed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in outcomes for users and nonusers of university counseling and psychiatric services: A 5-year accountability study.

All freshmen (1,210 men and 1,210 women) enrolled in the colleges of letters and science at a large state university were tested at entrance and followed for 4 yrs to identify use of the counseling center and psychiatric service, and for 5 yrs to determine persistence in school. Counseled Ss graduated at a higher rate within 4 yrs. Use of either service was associated with a reduced rate of leaving in bad standing, i.e., having a grade point average (GPA) below 2.0. Counseled and noncounseled Ss did not differ in initial scholastic abilities, interests, or background and these variables did not explain the difference in completion rate. GPAs of counseled and noncounseled Ss who graduated were similar. The results define a potential accountability basis for these services in terms of educational outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A consumer-constructed scale to measure empowerment among users of mental health services

OBJECTIVE: A scale to measure the personal construct of empowerment as defined by consumers of mental health services was developed and field tested. METHODS: After extensive development, pilot testing, and analyses, a 28-item scale to measure empowerment was tested on 271 members of six self-help programs in six states. Factor analyses were used to identify the underlying dimensions of empowerment. To establish the scale's reliability and validity, responses were factor analyzed, and other analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Analyses revealed five factors: self-efficacy-self-esteem, power-powerlessness, community activism, righteous anger, and optimism-control over the future. Empowerment was related to quality of life and income but not to the demographic variables of age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, or employment status. Empowerment was inversely related to use of traditional mental health services and positively related to community activism. CONCLUSIONS: The findings set a framework for a clearer understanding of the imprecise and overused concept of empowerment. The scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency and some evidence for validity. Further testing must be done to establish whether it has discriminant validity and is sensitive to change.     

Linkage studies of psychiatric disorders

Linkage analysis has been successful in identifying the genetic basis of numerous Mendelian diseases. These successes were due in part to the rapid developments in molecular biology, which have yielded a plethora of informative genetic markers. Although there is strong evidence that the manifestation of schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorders is controlled by genes, no evidence for linkage has been established. For psychiatric disorders, the most important limiting factor is likely to be the lack of single loci with very large effects that occur with any relevant frequency. The difficulties of linkage studies in psychiatric disorders are discussed with reference to non-psychiatric genetic diseases for which linkage to genetic markers has been successful. Recommendations for collecting information to clarify the patterns of transmission of the psychiatric disorders are described.     

Barriers to effective psychiatric emergency services for elderly persons

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the etiology and outcome of fetal hydrops of nonimmune origin diagnosed in utero during the first half of pregnancy. METHODS: We reviewed 45 cases of nonimmune fetal hydrops presenting between 11 and 17 weeks' gestation over a 4-year period. RESULTS: The median gestational age at diagnosis of fetal hydrops was 14 weeks. Placental edema was most commonly associated with generalized skin edema. Ascites was also observed in four cases, but no case presented with pleural or pericardial effusion. The fetal karyotype was abnormal in 35 cases (77.8%). Of the ten fetuses with a normal karyotype, four were classified as idiopathic, three had isolated atrioventricular septal defect, two were associated with maternal infection, and one had multiple pterygium. Fetal heart rate anomalies were found in both chromosomally normal and abnormal fetuses. All but one of the karyotypically abnormal pregnancies and five of ten euploid pregnancies were terminated. In all six pregnancies that continued, resolution occurred before mid-gestation. Three continuing euploid pregnancies resulted in fetal death, and only two had a normal outcome. CONCLUSION: Nonimmune fetal hydrops diagnosed before 18 weeks' gestation is associated with a higher incidence of aneuploidy than hydrops diagnosed during the second half of pregnancy. In most affected fetuses with a normal karyotype, spontaneous resolution occurred before 24 weeks' gestation, although the outcome was generally unfavorable.     

Use of hospital services by AIDS patients with psychiatric illness

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of psychiatric illness on length of stay and patterns of admission among AIDS patients hospitalized for medical illnesses. Medical records were abstracted for AIDS patients admitted to hospitals in Washington State from 1990 through 1992. Psychiatric comorbidity was defined by the presence of an International Classification of Disease-9 code reflecting psychiatric illness. Medical morbidity was addressed using CD4 count and AIDS-defining illnesses as markers of disease severity. Of 2834 admissions, 15% included one or more psychiatric diagnoses. Psychiatric illness (F 39.1; df 1,2830; p < 0.001) and discharge disposition (F 81.2; df 2,2830; p < 0.001) contributed significantly to the model, explaining increased length of stay (F 67.2; df 3,2830; p < 0.001). Future research needs to address the possible etiology of psychiatric comorbidity's contribution to length of stay and the effect on quality and cost of care.     

Presenting problems of sexually abused girls receiving psychiatric services.

Twenty-three behaviors among those suggested in the literature to be associated with sexual abuse were studied in 195 girls, ages 2–18 years, who were consecutive admissions to three Midwestern mental health agencies. Results indicated that sexually inappropriate behaviors, sleep disturbance, depressed mood, and delinquent behavior occurred more frequently in young abuse victims than in clinic comparisons. Sexually inappropriate behaviors and running away appeared more often in older sexually abused girls, than they appeared in older clinic comparisons. These comparisons of the presenting problems of sexually abused and nonabused girls suggest there are few behavioral "markers' of sexual abuse in clinical samples and that sexual abuse may not be a unique contributing factor in the ontogeny of childhood psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI studies of counselors: A review.

Presents a current, systematic review of published MMPI research on counselor characteristics and effectiveness and discussed the importance of continuing research in this area. Counselors appear different from the general norms on the L, K, Hy, Pd, Mf, Ma, Si, Es, Do, Re, St, and Pr scales but only the L, K, Ma, and Si scales distinguish between counselors and persons in other professions. Only the Ma and Sc scales show promise of discriminating between effective and ineffective counselors in training. Weaknesses of the existing research are indicated and 2 basic questions are raised regarding inventory research on counselor effectiveness. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The choose-get-keep model of psychiatric rehabilitation: A synopsis of recent studies.

Objective: Comprehensive review of studies using the choose-get-keep (CGK) process model of psychiatric rehabilitation. Also, other studies are identified that have demonstrated methodologies useful in future research on the CGK model. Intervention Model: The CGK process is conceptualized as the phases through which people with psychiatric disabilities proceed as they engage in psychiatric rehabilitation. Conclusion: The CGK model is a potentially useful psychiatric rehabilitation intervention that can be implemented in a variety of service settings and that focuses on the activities of the practitioner and the service recipient. The CGK model warrants further empirical study to examine its effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who does the family court refer for psychiatric services?

Demographic differences between adolescents referred for psychiatric services by the Family Court and by facility staff at a state-run juvenile justice evaluation center are examined. Those groups are then compared to the facility's general population. It is concluded that race, gender, age, and judicial discretion are the factors that distinguish court-referred adolescents from their counterparts referred by facility staff and in the general population.     

Work assessment of psychiatric patients: A critical review of published scales.

Critically examines 7 published scales designed for rating the work performance of psychiatric patients: (a) Minnesota Follow-up Study Rehabilitation Evaluation Scale; (b) M-R Fergus Falls Patient-Employee Rating Scale; (c) D. Ethridge scale (see record 1968-15840-001); (d) M. Distefano and M. Pryer scale (see record 1970-21324-001); (e) A. Cheadle, D. Cushing, C. Drew, and R. Morgan scale (see record 1968-00995-001); (f) A. Burger scale; and (g) J. Clark, B. Koch, and R. Nichols scale (see record 1965-10332-001). Special reference is made to concurrent and predictive validation. Suggestions for the design of such scales are presented. (33 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of psychiatric services by patients referred to a consultation unit

The psychiatric case registers for the hospital catchment area were examined to determine the use of psychiatric services over a 14-year period by a 4-year cohort of consecutive inpatient referrals to the consultation-liaison service of a British general hospital. Two-thirds of the subjects had no other psychiatric care during the survey period, but a third made considerable use of a wide range of specialist psychiatric services. Alcohol problems and dementia were notably associated with complex history of psychiatric management. Management of patients with repeated episodes of psychiatric care requires close collaboration with other services.     

Linking injection drug users to medical services: role of street outreach referrals

OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to assess the effects of background noise level on the detection and localization of speech. DESIGN: The phrase "Where is this?" was presented either in quiet or in a diffuse noise field, through loudspeakers arranged in a 360 degrees azimuth array. The noise conditions included 11 signal to noise ratios (SNRs) ranging from -18 dB SNR to +12 dB SNR in 3 dB increments. Seventeen normal-hearing subjects, aged 18 to 29, participated in the study. RESULTS: Results revealed that in all listening conditions the signal was most easily detected when presented through a loudspeaker positioned at 90 degrees or 270 degrees azimuth. Although the actual level for 50% detection varied as a function of loudspeaker location and SNR, 85% and 100% of all presentations of the signal were detected at -9 dB and -6 dB SNR, respectively. Localization accuracy improved as the SNR increased, ranging from 18% accuracy at -18 dB SNR to 89% at +12 dB SNR. Localization accuracy in quiet was 95%. The data are discussed in reference to patterns of responses at each loudspeaker location. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of the target signal deteriorated as background noise level increased and was dependent on the source location of the incoming signal, as expected. Localization accuracy of the target signal was highly dependent on the SNR and spatial location of the signal source. Detection and localization accuracy data were found to be repeatable across test sessions and response patterns were found to be symmetrical on the right and left sides of the horizontal plane.     

Patients'' requests and satisfaction with services in an outpatient psychiatric setting

Teratomas are embryonal neoplasms consisting of tissues from at least two of the three germ layers. Teratomas can occur in almost any region of the body and in any organ, but they are most commonly observed in the paraxial and midline locations. Excluding teratomas of the testes, 75% to 80% of teratomas occur in females. Approximately 80% are benign and 20% are malignant. The presenting location of teratomas correlates with patient age. Teratomas occurring in infancy and early childhood are usually extragonadal, whereas older children predominantly present with gonadal teratomas. The most common site of occurrence in neonates is in the sacrococcygeal and presacral region. Prognosis depends on patient's age, the resectability of the tumor, and the presence of metastases or metastatic potential.