Neuropsychological functioning among non-psychotic siblings and parents of schizophrenic patients.

Several studies have shown subtle neuropsychological deficits in healthy relatives of schizophrenic patients. However, older relatives and parents have been less frequently assessed than younger adult relatives and siblings. Furthermore, some areas of neuropsychological functioning such as memory and learning have been little studied.

Psychological assessment of patients with idiopathic pruritus ani.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare psychological profiles in 17 patients suffering from idiopathic pruritus ani with a control group of 28 patients showing secondary pruritus ani.

Methods: The two groups completed the Mini-Mult personality test and results were compared using chi 2 test and analysis of variance.

Results: The mean hypomania and depression scale scores were greater and smaller respectively in the idiopathic pruritus ani group.

[Reflections on international adoption].

In paediatric psychiatry, we often encounter French families who have chosen for international adoption of foreign children. From our clinical cases and a review of the literature, we have cited several circumstances which can lead to separation following adoption, either due to a rejection of the adopted by the adopting family or vica-versa: cases in which the adopted children are older or even young adolescents, simultaneous adoption of more than one child, adoption of psychologically disturbed children with a history of neglect or abuse by a previous guardian, cases in which the adopting parents are inadequately prepared due to international adoption procedures allowing the rapid accession of the adoption and cases with a poor understanding of the adoption legislation on the part of the biological parents or the child being adopted. These risque factors, relatively specific to international adoption, can in isolation or by a combination of factors lead to failure in the adoption.

[Family violence and adolescence].

Intrafamilial violence represents a vast topic, even if one limits the subject to the nuclear family. Indeed it includes violence from parents to the child, violence between brothers and sisters, conjugal violence and violence exercised by the child to his parents. Although one can differentiate the types of violence (physical, sexual, and psychological), they often coexist within the same family.

[Antecedents of pediatric pathology in adolescents hospitalized in a department for pediatric psychiatry].

The antecedents of pediatric hospitalization and previous history of somatic disturbance in 101 adolescents aged 12-16 yr hospitalized in a pedopsychiatric unit were compared to those of a representative population of 101 high school adolescents without psychiatric problems. Patients and controls were matched according to age, sex and parents nationality. The result showed that adolescents with psychiatric disorders were significantly more frequently hospitalized during infancy and childhood, particularly for medical reasons.

[An alternative to the hospitalization of the demented elderly: the nursing home].

The number of demented old people continues to increase. Their admission to a hospital is dangerous ("Syndrome de Glissement") and tolerated with difficulty by the nursing staff. The solution of home care is interesting but insufficient.

[The psychology of chronic rheumatism patients based on the Rorschach test].

The objective of this research was to try to see if it was possible to find in a population of chronic rheumatickies (a great majority of P.C.E.

[Ring 6-chromosome: a nonspecific clinical picture].

A new example of ring-6 chromosome is reported in a 5-year-old girl with psychomotor and growth retardation, microcephally, and microphtalmia. The breakpoints are considered to be distal on both arms of chromosome 6, in view of apparently normal transmission of HLA phenotypes.

[The Guidance Center. Evaluation after a year of activity].

The C.H.U.

Partial trisomy for the long arms of chromosome no. 5 due to insertion and further 'aneusomie de recombinaison'.

Five members of a family with a balanced insertion (1;5)(q32;q11q22) are presented. The daughter of one of them shows multiple malformations and a partial trisomy for the long arms of chromosome No. 5 (5q11 to 5q22 segment) resulting from a 'aneusomie de recombinaison' in her mother.