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Biomedical subjects

J Mintz

Publications and source records attributed to J Mintz.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Depression in treated narcotic addicts, ex-addicts, nonaddicts, and suicide attempters: validation of a very Brief Depression Scale.

Samples of heroin-addicted veterans in treatment at a VA drug clinic, ex-addict and nonaddict Vietnam veterans followed-up after return to the United States, and male suicide attempters who were not drug abusers completed a very short (five item) form of the Beck Depression Inventory developed for screening and research purposes. Results confirmed prior findings of high rates of depression among narcotic addicts in treatment. Two samples of patients assessed at intake to treatment did not differ significantly from the suicide patients in BDI-5 scores. Methadone maintenance patients and ex-addicts scored below those groups, but higher than nonaddicts. Relief of inner tensions or worries was chosen most frequently as the reason for continuing use of narcotics by patients in treatment, suggesting that self-medication for psychiatric problems may be common. The BDI-5 proved to be an efficient method for screening for depression in these samples, and thus might be useful in clinical or research settings when a very brief method is needed.

Depression↗
PubMed1977

Depression in veterans two years after Viet Nam.

The authors evaluated the incidence of depression in a sample of 202 Viet Nam veterans an average of 28 months after their return from Viet Nam. Approximately one-third of the sample fell within the clinically depressed range of the Beck Depression Inventory. Comparison of the depressed and nondepressed groups indicated that the former had higher frequencies of drug abuse (particularly while in Viet Nam), more marital difficulties, a higher unemployment rate, and more current legal problems. This high incidence of depression, coupled with the finding that few of these men were being treated for the illness, indicates the need for an outreach approach to this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Predicting the outcome of psychotherapy for schizophrenics. Relative contributions of patient, therapist, and treatment characteristics.

This study was designed to assess the relative prognostic importance of patient factors, therapist characterists, and treatment mode. The sample was 100 schizophrenic outpatients referred to a community mental health center following psychiatric hospitalization. Patients were randomly assigned to either group (N=50) or individual (N=50) psychotherapy. Criteria were rehospitalization and two clinician ratings--adjustment and social effectiveness--at a two-year follow-up. The best predictor of rehospitalization was the number of previous hospitalizations. The best predictor of adjustment status at two years was pretreatment adjustment level. Also, patients with good prognostic indices made relatively large gains. Predictors of outcome for group-treated patients did not differ from those for individually treated patients. Controlling for initial status, treatment mode was almost as good as predictor of adjustment gains as were other patient factors.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1976

Drug flashbacks. II. Some additional findings.

A subsample was drawn from an earlier collection of data in order to answer a number of questions related to "acid" (LSD, STP) flashbacks. Acid users who reported flashbacks also reported significantly more marijuana use than those who did not; the two groups did not differ on use of other drugs, including acid. Simple correlations and multiple regression analyses both showed extent of marijuana use to be the only drug variable significantly related to acid flashbacks. No optimal combination of marijuana and acid improved flashback prediction. Among acid users, correlations between amounts of use for various drugs were high and significant, excepting only the marijuana-acid correlation.

DOM 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-Methylamphetamine↗
PubMed1975

Conditioning of narcotic abstinence symptoms in human subjects.

Clinical evidence suggests the possibility of conditioning of narcotic abstinence symptoms. Addicts report subjective and objective signs of withdrawal/craving when exposed to certain stimuli. This may partially explain the high rate of relapse to drug seeking behavior when treated addicts return to their home environment. Conditioning of narcotic abstinence symptoms was produced experimentally in five of eight volunteer subjects. Brief naloxone precipitated abstinence was the unconditioned response. The conditioned stimulus was a tone and odor. After an average of seven training trials, the tone and odor produced a conditioned abstinence response. The conditioned response consisted of subjective components (feelings of sickness, nausea, cramps, craving) and objective components (yawning, tearing, rhinorrhea, irregular respiration and transiently increased blood pressure). These laboratory findings support the anecdotal evidence regarding the existence of conditioned abstinence phenomena.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1975

Double-blind detoxification of methadone maintenance patients.

Twenty-four methadone maintenance patients were assigned to (1) decreasing dose (N = 12) or (2) continued methadone maintenance (N = 12), matching for dose, initial complaint levels, and counselor. After 14 weeks most patients in both groups had terminated from the study. Detoxifying patients usually terminated by obtaining a dose increase or dropping out; maintenance patients usually terminated for external reasons. Prior to terminating, detoxifying patients reported increased withdrawal complaints but no awareness doses had decreased. Termination was not directly related to dose level or percentage decrease. In both groups, terminators were likely to have been high in complaints during the baseline period.

Administration, Oral↗