Cannabis use and mood disorders: patterns of clinical presentations among adolescents in a developing country.

Notwithstanding the increase use of cannabis among adolescents in both developing and developed countries, few studies have looked at cannabis use and mood disorders. In a series of case studies, this research project seeks to investigate patterns of clinical presentations seen among cannabis users in psychiatric outpatients in Trinidad. Five clinical patterns of presentations are identified among cannabis users and abusers based on variables of dosing, age of initial use, duration of use, tolerance and reverse tolerance and poly-drug abuse.

Adolescent depression in Trinidad and Tobago.

This study investigates depression in adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago and identifies any significant trends associated with its occurrence. A stratified random sample of 1.845 adolescent students from 24 schools was administered a questionnaire requesting demographic information and responses to the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale.

Adolescent depression in Tobago.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptomatology, major depression and dysthymia in a sample of Tobagonian adolescents. A stratified random sample of 203 adolescent students was selected from three schools in Tobago by random number generation of the total number of schools. The subjects were administered the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

Crime in Trinidad and Tobago: the effect of alcohol use and unemployment.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether unemployment and alcohol consumption were associated with different types of crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

Methods: This study made use of secondary data from the Central Statistical Office of Trinidad and Tobago for the period 1990-1997. Pearson product moment correlations and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to identify significant predictors of crime.

The mental health policies of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the most southerly of the Caribbean island states. Trinidad is just 14 km from the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad covers an area of 4828 km while Tobago, the sister isle, has an area of 300 km.

Prevalence of bulimic behaviours and eating attitudes in schoolgirls from Trinidad and Barbados.

We investigated eating attitudes and the prevalence of bulimic disorders in a group of 362 schoolgirls from the islands of Trinidad and Barbados using key questions from the Bulimia Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE) and additional questions for the exploration of eating attitudes and dieting practices. A random sample of 92 girls were interviewed using the DSM-III-R Bulimia Diagnostic Interview. Only three subjects (0.

Time of the year and absconding from a psychiatric hospital in Trinidad.

Personal characteristics of patients and environmental factors at psychiatric hospitals have been identified as predictors of absconding. This study seeks to establish a relationship between time of the year and absconding. All characteristics of absconders were analysed over a two-year period using hospital records (N= 104).

The prescribing of psychotropic drugs in mental health services in Trinidad.

Objective: To describe, analyze, and interpret patterns of psychotropic drug prescribing in new psychiatric patients attending psychiatric outpatient clinics in the Caribbean island of Trinidad.

Design And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of psychotropic drug prescribing by psychiatrists for 132 new psychiatric outpatients who were seen at the outpatient clinics surveyed and who were entering the mental health system during the period of research, November 1998 through February 1999.

Results: A single patient could be prescribed more than one psychotropic drug.