Behavioral response to naturally occurring stress in cyclothymia and dysthymia.

Outlines an approach to epidemiologic-type life-stress studies that involves the intensive study of smaller groups of well-defined disordered individuals across the course of the response. On the basis of their previous research, the authors suggest that cyclothymia may be characterized by poor regulation of biologic and behavioral variation and that this condition may be exaggerated by stress. To extend the evidence on poor regulation generated in laboratory studies of cortisol functioning, 31 cyclothyme patients and 24 normal controls (median age 19.3 yrs) were asked to provide daily ratings of moods and events over 28 consecutive days. Data show that Ss with cyclothymia showed prolonged duration of recovery of behavioral levels compared to controls. Findings support a notion of weak inhibitory modulation in certain CNS systems that control biologic and behavioral variables related to affective disorder. It is suggested that the prolonged duration of behavioral change in cyclothymia is unlikely to be the consequence of concurrent depression and that the nature of prolonged recovery to stress in cyclothymia reflects the operation of an endogenous regulatory process, as opposed to a cognitive appraisal bias. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The specificity of response interference to schizophrenia.

Recent research has emphasized that the greater-than-normal response interference in schizophrenics is a specific characteristic of schizophrenia. Since arousal is an important variable in response interference and since schizophrenics show patterns of overarousal, it is suggested that arousal would be important to control if behavioral differences between schizophrenics and controls are to be attributed specifically to schizophrenics' special problems of response interference. These ideas were tested by replicating a study by W. E. Broen and L. H. Storms (see record 1964-07261-001) using an overaroused control group of 15 nonpsychotic psychiatric inpatients, 15 nonparanoid schizophrenics, and 15 normals in a visual discrimination task. Data show that both the overaroused controls and schizophrenics, while not differing from each other, showed greater decrement of correct responding with increased arousal than the normal controls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptualization and measurement of human disorder in life stress research: The problem of chronic disturbance.

States that although a gradual evolution in the conceptualization and measurement of socioenvironmental factors in life stress research is evident, parallel development in the reinforcement of notions of human disorder has not occurred. This lack of attention to the variable being predicted may be partly responsible for the frequently reported low association between life stress and disorder. Current concepts and measures of disorder are examined from a historical perspective, and it is suggested that the present trend toward nonspecific treatment of disorder provides very limited principles of stress–disorder interaction. Moreover, it is argued that this approach fails to recognize the effect on this interaction of a heterogeneous array of chronic conditions that exist in nonspecifically indexed disordered groups. The composition of the chronically disordered group and the implications of its existence for initiation and maintenance models of stress–disorder interaction are discussed. Implications for design and assessment issues in life-stress research are analyzed. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The unipolar–bipolar distinction in the depressive disorders.

Reviews studies concerned with symptomatic behavior, clinical characteristics, genetic factors, and pharmacological response in relation to the unipolar–bipolar distinction in depressive disorders. The findings suggest that differences among some forms of the larger polar disorders do exist in the above areas. However, heterogeneity of results remains evident, indicating that finer subdivisions within the larger polar groups are necessary. Accordingly, research within the guidelines of a genetic taxonomy of polar groups is assessed and recommended as the most productive framework for future investigation of the depressive disorders. (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learned helplessness in the perspective of the depressive disorders: Conceptual and definitional issues.

Examines 3 issues that are important in extending the learned helplessness model to clinical depressive disorders. First, the nature of the heterogeneity of clinical manifestations of depression is examined within several clinical frameworks, and the role that learned helplessness may play in each is discussed. Second, the problems in constructing models for clinical populations are explored through the examination of several parallels between learned helplessness and clinical depression put forth by M. E. Seligman (1975). Third, problems involved in defining and identifying depressed college student Ss in analog research are discussed. Integral to the latter issue is an evaluation of the assumption that depressed college student Ss differ from clinical depressives only quantitatively but not qualitatively. Suggestions are made for research aimed at extending the learned helplessness model to other clinical problem areas. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hospitalization and Premorbid Characteristics in Withdrawn and Active Schizophrenics.

Hospitalization and premorbid data were collected on withdrawn and active schizophrenics in an attempt to explore basic differences between these types of patients. Results showed that withdrawns are first hospitalized at an earlier age, stay in the hospital longer each time they are admitted, spend more of their lives in psychiatric facilities, and have a higher incidence of delusions and hallucinations than actives. These data seem to reflect basic differences beyond the schizophrenic episode since withdrawns were also found to have a poorer overall premorbid adjustment, are less likely to be married, have fewer estimated friends between the ages of 6 and 18, and have fewer estimated high school activities than actives. Finally, implications for future research and high-risk studies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dopamine and the structure of personality: Relation of agonist-induced dopamine activity to positive emotionality.

Modern trait theories of personality include a dimension reflecting positive emotionality (PE) based on sensitivity to signals of incentive-reward. In animals, responsivity within an emotional system analog of PE is dependent on brain dopamine (DA) activity. To determine whether human PE trait levels are also associated with central DA, effects of a specific DA D? receptor agonist were assessed in 23 Ss who were widely distributed along the trait dimension of PE. The degree of agonist-induced reactivity in 2 distinct central DA indices was strongly and specifically associated with trait levels of PE, but not with other personality traits. The results suggest that the trait structure of personality may be related to individual differences in brain DA functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrodermal activity and schizophrenia: The problem of stimulus intensity modulation.

Recent reviews on electrodermal activity and schizophrenia have cited both hyperreactivity and hyporeactivity in groups of schizophrenics. One problem concerning the interpretation of hyporeactivity is that of stimulus-intensity modulation. This problem is defined, and it is suggested that researchers interested in basic neurophysiological activity of schizophrenics employ a nonstressful experimental procedure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The contribution of environmental events and social support to serious suicide attempts in primary depressive disorder.

Interviewed patients (18–65 yrs old) about the events that occurred to them or their spouse in the 12 mo previous to the suicide attempt. Only primary depressive attempters (14 Ss) were selected, and for purposes of comparison, a primary depressive control group (14 Ss) was selected. Ss were administered the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Moreover, seriousness of suicide attempts was quantified and assessed in each patient, and only moderately or severely serious attempters were chosen. Results show that the occurrence of serious suicide attempts is strongly associated with an increased rate of independent events (events not influenced by the patient's behavior, decisions, or disorder) in the year preceding the attempt, and that a particularly high density of such events between episodic onset and the attempt may serve as the direct initiator of an attempt. Data also suggest that exit events, where an important social support is lost to the patient, may play a significant role in initiating an attempt. Implications for the highest risk period of suicide are discussed. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

General Behavior Inventory identification of unipolar and bipolar affective conditions in a nonclinical university population.

Validated the General Behavior Inventory (GBI), revised to identify unipolar as well as bipolar affective conditions, in a nonclinical sample (n?=?201) against naive, interview-derived diagnoses. For bipolar and unipolar conditions, respectively, the GBI had high positive (.94, .87) and negative (.99, .93) predictive power with the effect of prevalence considered, adequate sensitivity (.78, .76), high specificity (.99, .99), and adequate selection ratios for sampling of affective and nonaffective subjects from nonclinical populations for research purposes. The utility of the GBI in several different research contexts is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)