Time to Relapse Questionnaire (TRQ): a measure of sudden relapse in substance dependence.

Background: Relapse may occur suddenly, following a short period of craving, or after extended consideration. The time to relapse may reveal underlying mechanisms of relapse and have important implications for treatment.

Objective: The Time to Relapse Questionnaire (TRQ), a self-administered questionnaire, was designed to assess the time from the initial thought of drug use to actual use.

Which depressive symptoms remain after response to cognitive therapy of depression and predict relapse and recurrence?

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent, severely debilitating, and often recurrent. Greater residual depressive symptoms after acute phase treatment predict greater relapse and recurrence. It is unknown, however, which specific depressive symptoms remain and are most predictive.

[The relationship between the craving for alcohol and relapse of the disease].

The craving for alcohol was studied using 2 Russian and 4 international scales, including ratings of the clinician and self-rating of the patient. Depression and anxiety as well as the content of alcohol in exhaled air were assessed. The data were compared to the scores of the Impulsive Relapse Questionnaire.

Dissection of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis pathology in 1-month-abstinent alcohol-dependent men, part 2: response to ovine corticotropin-releasing factor and naloxone.

Background: Pituitary and adrenal responsiveness is suppressed in abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals. To clarify the specific organizational disruption in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal functioning during early abstinence, the authors separately assessed each level of the stress-response axis. In this second of a two-part study, ovine corticotropin-releasing factor (oCRH) was used to stimulate the pituitary corticotrophs, and naloxone was used to activate the axis at the hypothalamic level.

Dissection of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis pathology in 1-month-abstinent alcohol-dependent men, part 1: adrenocortical and pituitary glucocorticoid responsiveness.

Background: Long-term ingestion of alcohol produces marked alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. The authors engaged in a series of studies to determine the distinct role of the hypothalamus and the pituitary and adrenal glands in the disturbances observed in abstinent alcohol-dependent subjects. In this first of a two-part study, the authors report on (1) the basal secretory profile of corticotropin and cortisol from 2000 to 0800 hrs, (2) adrenocortical sensitivity in both the presence and absence of endogenous pituitary activation, and (3) pituitary glucocorticoid sensitivity to dexamethasone.