Psychotic disorder following traumatic brain injury: a conceptual framework.

Introduction: Psychotic Disorder Following Traumatic Brain Injury (PDFTBI) is a relatively rare disorder that may provide clues to understanding schizophrenia and psychosis. The objective of this paper was to develop a conceptual framework describing how traumatic brain injury (TBI) can contribute to the development of a psychosis and potential neurobiological mechanisms that cause a psychosis in this population.

Methods: The literature on PDFTBI and previous conceptualisations of the disorder were reviewed.

Ethnic differences in prediction of violence risk with the HCR-20 among psychiatric inpatients.

Objective: This study examined ethnic differences in assessment of violence risk among psychiatric inpatients by using the Historical Clinical Risk Management-20 (HCR-20).

Methods: The HCR-20 was administered to 169 consecutive psychiatric inpatients. Individual items and total scores on the HCR-20 were compared between patients of Asian-American (N=51), Euro-American (N=46), and Native-Hawaiian (N=38) heritage.

Teaching literacy and mathematics skills to adult psychiatric inpatients: an evaluation of the adult literacy program at Hawaii State Hospital.

The Adult Literacy Program at Hawaii State Hospital utilized techniques drawn from the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction. In a study involving psychiatric inpatients, participants were taught reading, mathematics, or both over a 6- to 8-month time span. Using the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised, it was determined that nearly half of the participants demonstrated academic gains during the study period.

Is psychosis a neurobiological syndrome?

Objective: To describe theoretical weaknesses in the DSM-IV criteria for psychotic disorders and to argue that schizophrenia-like psychosis is a neurobiological syndrome similar to aphasia or apraxia.

Method: We outline the criteria for the concept of neurobiological syndrome and present supporting evidence for schizophrenia-like psychosis as a neurobiological syndrome.

Results: There is evidence in the literature to support the hypothesis that schizophrenia-like psychosis is a neurobiological syndrome.

A neuropsychological comparison of psychotic disorder following traumatic brain injury, traumatic brain injury without psychotic disorder, and schizophrenia.

Neuropsychological functioning in individuals with psychotic disorder following traumatic brain injury (PDFTBI), traumatic brain injury without psychosis (TBIWP), and schizophrenia were compared against each other and to the means of normal subjects. It was predicted that the PDFTBI group would be similar to the schizophrenic group in patterns of deficits, but milder in severity. Compared to scores from a normal sample, the PDFTBI group scored significantly lower in intelligence, vocabulary, verbal memory, and executive functioning, while the schizophrenic group scored significantly lower in intelligence, working memory, verbal memory, visual spatial abilities, and executive functioning.

Neurocognition and long-term prediction of quality of life in outpatients with severe and persistent mental illness.

The present study examined the predictive validity of neuropsychological measures to quality of life (QOL) indicators in 30 outpatients with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), an average of 15 years post-testing. Outcome measures included subscale scores on the Brief Quality of Life Inventory (BQOLI). Results of several stepwise multiple regressions revealed that memory was predictive of income, satisfaction with daily activities, and general health.

Dementia screening: can a second administration reduce the number of false positives?

Objective: Early diagnosis of dementia is important for medical treatment and quality-of-life interventions. The authors examine whether administering a second cognitive screening after a poor initial score can improve the accuracy of diagnosis. Of particular interest is reducing false positives that may generate an unnecessary referral for a dementia work-up.

Neurocognition and community outcome in schizophrenia: long-term predictive validity.

The present study examined the predictive validity of neuropsychological measures to functional outcome in 26 schizophrenic patients 15-plus year post-testing. Outcome measures included score on the Resource Associated Functional Level Scale (RAFLS), number of state hospital admissions, and total duration of state hospital inpatient stay. Results of several stepwise multiple regressions revealed that verbal memory significantly predicted RAFLS score, accounting for nearly half of the variance.

Characteristics of psychotic disorder due to traumatic brain injury: an analysis of case studies in the literature.

The authors analyzed data from 69 published case studies of Psychotic Disorder Due to Traumatic Brain Injury (PDTBI) in order to describe its common characteristics and assist in its diagnosis and differentiation from schizophrenia. The majority of these PDTBI patients were males with onset of symptoms occurring within the first 2 years after moderate to severe head injury. A majority showed abnormalities on MRI/CT and EEG with localization in the frontal and temporal areas.

The salience of visuospatial and organizational skills in reproducing the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure in subjects with high and low IQs.

The salience of visuospatial and organizational skills in copying the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure (ROCF) was examined in 44 adults diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Subjects were divided into a high average and above IQ group (n = 21) and an average and below IQ group (n = 23). Multiple regressions were conducted for both groups, with the ROCF copy as the dependent variable and WAIS-R Block Design and Stern Fragmentation scores as predictor variables.

Personality disorder in multiple sclerosis correlates with cognitive impairment.

Previous studies of personality change in multiple sclerosis (MS) relied on brief, nonstandardized assessments or tests that are confounded with symptoms of acute psychiatric disorder. Objectives of the present study were to evaluate character change in MS by using comprehensive trait measures of personality and to determine if there is an association between personality change and cognitive dysfunction. Thirty-four MS patients and 14 healthy volunteers were studied.

Risk factors in psychosis secondary to traumatic brain injury.

Psychosis is a rare but devastating sequela of traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study examined risk factors for developing a psychosis secondary to TBI (PSTBI). Demographics of 25 inpatients with PSTBI were statistically analyzed for risk factors.

Research on religious variables in five major adolescent research journals: 1992 to 1996.

A review of quantitative research studies published between 1992 and 1996 in five major adolescent journals revealed that 11.8% (109 of 922) included a measure of religion. This percentage (11.

Exploring the effects of tape-recording on personality assessment.

This study examined the possible influence of audio and video recording of personality assessment measures on anxiety. Undergraduate students in psychology were randomly assigned to Audiotape, Videotape, or Control conditions and given the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Rorschach Inkblot Method. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance indicated no significant differences among these conditions on the Spielberger, et al.

Neuropsychologic implications in erotomania: two case studies.

Objective: To explore neuroanatomic substrates and cognitive factors associated with erotomania through neuropsychologic test data and neurologic studies.

Background: Erotomania is a delusional disorder that has been examined and conceptualized both clinically and psychodynamically. It is believed that neuroanatomic and neuropsychologic correlates can provide important insights into the causes of erotomania.

Issues in the psychiatric treatment of African Americans.

African Americans constitute about 12 percent of the United States population. Sixty percent of African Americans live in urban areas, and 25 percent have incomes below the poverty level. Issues in the psychiatric assessment and evaluation of African-American patients include diagnostic bias that has resulted in overdiagnosis of schizophrenia.

Culture, law and psychiatry in Hawaii.

Hawaii is a set of islands with a broad mix of cultures. The law is American, but it was predominantly derived from English Common Law. Thus, the law is derived from a very distant culture.

The effects of clozapine on cognitive functioning in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients.

This study examined the cognitive functioning of 10 treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients after a minimum of a 1-year trial on clozapine. Results indicated significant improvements on prorated Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs and on the WAIS-R Similarities and Digit Symbol subtests. A trend was also found for improvement on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.

Marriage and family therapists and the clergy: a need for clinical collaboration, training, and research.

This article calls for greater collaboration between clergy and marriage and family therapists. It spells out the reasons for potential collaboration and suggests some specific ways it can occur. Marriage and family therapists acknowledge the highest rates of religious involvement of any mental health profession, placing them in a unique position to be involved in the continuing education of clergy.

Posttraumatic stress, mental health professionals, and the clergy: a need for collaboration, training, and research.

This article addresses the need for improved clergy-mental health professional collaboration in the assessment and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Tens of millions of North Americans with personal problems seek the counsel of clergy. There is an absence of research on the function of clergy as helpers with the traumatized and on the psychological dynamics of religious coping among the traumatized.

Has there been a failure to prepare and support parish-based clergy in their role as frontline community mental health workers: a review.

Addresses the issue that parish-based clergy, functioning as frontline community mental health workers, often do so with inadequate training and limited support from the mental health community. Claims that although a clergyperson is as likely to have a severely mentally distressed person seek her or his assistance as is a mental health specialist, there is inadequate research on the function of clergy in the mental health network or the psychological dynamics of religion. Suggests that clergy can serve most effectively in the mental health network as skilled facilitators, identifying the needs of persons, and connecting them to a larger circle of specialized helpers.