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Biomedical subjects

M M Weissman

Publications and source records attributed to M M Weissman.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

Utilization review and suicide attempts. Exploring discrepancies between experts' criteria and clinical practice.

The discrepancies between experts' criteria for hospitalization of suicide attempters with actual clinical practice were explored to develop utilization review criteria which reflect current clinical thinking and which could form guidelines for the assessment of clinical care. Experts' criteria predicted that a hospitalized group of suicide attempters did not require hospitalization and that a nonhospitalized group of suicide attempters required hospitalization. Examination of the discrepancies between clinical practice and experts' criteria not only revealed that incorporation of clinical measures of depressive symptomatology could improve the experts' criteria for hospitalization but also showed that clinicians did not hospitalize a group of markedly symptomatic and socially impaired white suicide attempters. Clinician and patient factors that may have contributed to this decision making and the application of these findings for utilization review are discussed.

Adolescent↗

A double-blind trial of maprotiline (Ludiomil) and amitriptyline in depressed outpatients.

The results of a double-blind trial of a tetracyclic antidepressant, maprotiline (Ludiomil) and a conventional tricyclic, amitriptyline (Elavil), in 67 ambulatory depressives are reported. Hamilton's Rating Scale for Depression was the main outcome criterion. No statistically significant differences were found between the drugs in onset of action, efficacy, side effects or predictors of response. Patients on either drug showed a significant reduction in symptoms after 1 week of treatment and at the end of the trial. Both drugs were tolerated well. A review of double-blind comparisons of maprotiline and tricyclic antidepressants, spanning 13 countries, and including over 900 patients, both ambulatory and inpatient, shows essentially similar results. The main outcome criterion in all these studies was manifest psychopathology assessed on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression by the treating physician. The absence of additional types of outcome criteria or assessment techniques, which may have detected differences in motor activity or drive as originally postulated, may have obscured results which were expected to be subtle.

Adult↗

Utilization review of treatment of suicide attempters: chart review as patient care evaluation.

The authors reviewed the charts of 36 nonhospitalized suicide attempters who were identified by utilization review as requiring hospitalization. In 16 of the cases, the authors judged the treatment given to have been adequate because of an absence of a history of psychiatric treatment and/or the rapidity with which outpatient treatment was instiituted. Ten of the cases were judged to have been inadequately treated. This finding pointed to have been inadequately treated. This finding pointed to specific deficiencies in the training of residents and the delivery of psychiatric services and illustrates how chart review can be used to upgrade psychiatric care.

Adolescent↗

Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders in an urban general medicine practice.

BACKGROUND: Most research on the prevalence of mental disorders in primary care has been conducted in practices that serve middle- and upper-income patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of major mental disorders in a primary care practice that serves a predominantly low-income immigrant patient population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey; criterion standard. SETTING: Urban general medicine practice. PARTICIPANTS: Systematic sample of consecutive adult patients with scheduled appointments. Of 1266 approached eligible patients, 1007 (80%) participated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIME-MD Patient Health Questionnaire major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, alcohol use disorder, and suicidal ideation; drug use disorder; functional status; work loss; family distress; and mental health treatment. RESULTS: Major depression (18. 9%), generalized anxiety (14.8%), panic (8.3%), and substance use (7. 9%) disorders and suicidal ideation (7.1%) were highly prevalent. Many patients had more than 1 disorder (range, 36.3% [substance use disorder] to 76.9% [panic disorder]). In multivariate analyses, each disorder was significantly associated with an increase in impairment after controlling for demographic characteristics, perceived health, and the other disorders. A minority of patients with each disorder (range, 22.5% [substance use disorder] to 46.4% [panic disorder]) reported receiving mental health treatment in the last month. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically significant depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidal ideation are quite common in this practice and associated with significant functional impairment. Primary care practices that serve poor urban immigrant populations have a critical need to provide access to mental health services. Arch Fam Med. 2000;9:876-883

Adult↗

Uncomplicated and comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder in an epidemiologic sample.

This study investigated lifetime prevalence rates, demographic characteristics, childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial features, suicide attempts, and cognitive impairment in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) uncomplicated by or comorbid with any other psychiatric disorder. The data are from the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study, and the current analyses compared subjects with uncomplicated OCD (no history of any other lifetime psychiatric disorder), comorbid OCD (with any other lifetime disorder), other lifetime psychiatric disorders, and no lifetime psychiatric disorders across these variables. OCD in its uncomplicated and comorbid form had significantly higher rates of childhood conduct symptoms, adult antisocial personality disorder problems, and of suicide attempts than did no or other disorders. Comorbid OCD subjects had higher rates of mild cognitive impairment on the Mini-Mental Status Exam than did subjects with other disorders. These findings suggest that a subgroup of OCD patients may have impulsive features, including childhood conduct disorder symptoms and an increased rate of suicide attempts; wider clinical attention to these outcomes is needed.

Adolescent↗