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Biomedical subjects

P Pichot

Publications and source records attributed to P Pichot.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The concept of 'bouffée délirante' with special reference to the Scandinavian concept of reactive psychosis.

The nosological concepts of 'bouffée délirante', first described by Magnan in the 1880s, and of 'psychogenic psychosis', first described by Wimmer in 1916, are still in use in their countries of origin, France and the Scandinavian countries. Both refer to psychotic episodes of good prognosis, not connected with schizophrenia, appearing in a special fragile personality. An examination of the diagnostic criteria of the two categories shows, however, that important differences exist. Contrary to what has been claimed, Wimmer's original description, although showing an encyclopedic knowledge of the international literature of the day, has not been directly influenced by Magnan. Bouffée délirante and psychogenic psychosis, whatever their differences, have survived in their respective countries of origin against the pressure of the psychiatric consensus of the rest of the world, as evidenced by the frequency of the present use of the two diagnoses. The two categories, after having been considered for a long time as idiosyncratic peculiarities of individual national schools, are now submitted internationally to empirical studies and have become the center of a renewed interest.

Adjustment Disorders↗

Classification of depressive states.

Classification of depressive states is at the present time an open issue. Depression is ambiguously defined, either as a syndrome, or as a disease whose manifestation can be the depressive syndrome or other pathological manifestations (depressive equivalents). No agreement exists about the basic problem of the categorial or the dimensional nature of the classification, the later having being recently supported by several authors. The paper discusses the most commonly used classifications: the primary-secondary dichotomy, the ICD 9 and the DSM-III and especially the central problem of the endogenous- non endogenous dichotomy.

Adjustment Disorders↗

[DSM-III: the 3d edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the American Psychiatric Association].

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM-III) published by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980, and now translated in many languages, has raised a great interest in the whole world. It has probably had on psychiatric thinking as important an impact as the Treatise of Psychiatry of E. Kraepelin at the beginning of the century. The evolution of psychiatric nosology and the circumstances of the birth of DSM-III are described. In discussing the general principles and the technical aspects, the influence of several currents of thought are emphasized: recent remedicalization of psychiatry in the United States, suspicion about speculative theories, return to an a-theoretical clinical descriptive nosology, influence of quantitative differential psychology and of the models provided by computer diagnosis. The nature of the two basic principles: the necessity of attaining a proven high interjudge reliability in diagnosis, and the descriptive a-theoretical nature of the description of each category is analyzed. From those principles derive the most original features of the DSM-III: the use of stringent diagnostic criteria, of a possible quantitative nature and the adoption of a multi-axial system. Some of the most striking changes introduced are the logical consequences of the principles e.g. the deletion of the term "neurosis". Others changes such as the introduction of new diagnostic categories or changes in the limits of classical ones (especially schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis) reflect a reaction against previous trends of American psychiatry and a strict adherence to a pragmatic and empirical thinking. In addition, the flexibility of its structure allows for the incorporation of new empirical results. In spite of many criticisms, either against the general orientation or against specific positions, some of which are presented in the course of this article, it is concluded that the success of the DSM-III results from a trend in psychiatric thinking not confined to the United States. Its controversial nature has stimulated the reappraisal of old concepts, and it can be considered as an important contribution towards a closer integration of psychiatry to medicine.

Humans↗

Berner's axial syndromes and the polydiagnostic approach of the LICET system.

The LICET system is a polydiagnostic instrument permitting recording of diagnostic criteria and assignment by diagnostic algorithms as proposed in a number of different classification systems, including the Viennese Research Criteria. In the present report, French diagnostic practices are compared with the Viennese Research Criteria for endogenomorphic-schizophrenic and endogenomorphic-cyclothymic axial syndromes.

Austria↗

[L.I.C.E.T.-D 100: a new approach to the diagnosis of depression].

L.I.C.E.T.-D 100 or List of Integrated Criteria for Evaluation and Taxonomy in Depression is a diagnostic instrument permitting to record all information required to make a diagnosis following different classification systems, and to compute the diagnosis for each system, either by hand or automatically using a simple computer program. The present article presents the principles and purposes of the method and provides the technical information required for using the instrument.

Depressive Disorder↗

[French empiric criteria for psychoses. I. Situation of the problem and methodology].

The French classification of mental disorders is a simple nomenclature which provides no definitions nor any other information concerning the categories. The present study describes the methodological guidelines of a nation-wide investigation that was initiated to establish empirical operational definitions for schizophrenia and other non-affective psychoses of classical French nosology.

Acute Disease↗

[Brief self-evaluation questionnaire for depressive, asthenic and anxious dimensions].

A short self-rating inventory of 24 items is presented. Factor analysis has shown that it includes three homogenous sub-scales of 8 items each, measuring respectively the depressive mood, the asthenia-fatigue and the anxiety dimensions. The inventory can be used in general practice with ambulatory patient and allows to select for specific therapeutic trials a sub-group of patients characterized by depressive and asthenic symptoms with a relatively low level of anxiety.

Anxiety↗

A double-blind controlled clinical trial comparing fluvoxamine with imipramine.

1 The effects of fluvoxamine to a maximum of 300 mg daily were compared with those of imipramine to a maximum of 200 mg daily, in 151 patients with primary major depression. 2 Four weeks of treatment with fluvoxamine resulted in 67.2% improvement (+/- s.d. 21.6) on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (26 items). Treatment with imipramine showed 62.1% improvement (+/- s.d. 29.5) on this scale. 3 Fluvoxamine had no untoward effects on the cardiovascular system, while imipramine produced systematic increases in the postural fall in blood pressure. Dry mouth, nausea, daytime somnolence and tremor were seen with fluvoxamine treatment, while imipramine was associated with dry mouth, daytime somnolence, dizziness and tremor. 4 We conclude that fluvoxamine seems to have the same general antidepressant efficacy as imipramine. It was not associated with any safety problems and was generally well tolerated.

Antidepressive Agents↗

A double-blind controlled multicenter trial comparing butriptyline with amitriptyline.

77 primary depressive in-patients aged 18-70 years (mean = 46/47 years) were assigned randomly to experimental and control groups and treated in double-blind conditions in ten centers. Butriptyline and amitriptyline were both administered with an identical increasing schedule, up to 150 mg daily in the first week and a flexible schedule for the last 3 weeks of trial. Mean daily doses were 145 mg butriptyline and 142 mg amitriptyline after 2 weeks, and 77.5 mg amitriptyline and butriptyline after 4 weeks. Nitrazepam (5-10 mg) and haldol (5 mg) were also allowed, only if necessary. Symptomatology and antidepressant efficacy were assessed using the rating scales of Hamilton, Overall, BPRS, CGI and a side effect checklist. After initial comparison of the two treatment groups, the results showed that the antidepressant effects were significantly better with butriptyline on the number of dropouts, on the total score and on the following factors of the Overall Depression Scale: depression, guilt, anxiety, somatization and somatic complaints. Frequency of haldol prescription was significantly lower with butriptyline than with amitriptyline. The overall frequency of side effects and of autonomic symptoms did not differ in the two groups. The effects on other parameters (hematological and biochemical variables, ECG and EEG) were similar for both drugs. In conclusion, butriptyline has the same indications as amitriptyline but shows a better antidepressant efficacy at the same dosage.

Adolescent↗

Nosological position of schizo-affective psychoses in France.

French clinicians unanimously reject the term 'schizo-affective' in favor of two specific French diagnostic categories: the 'bouffées délirantes polymorphes, Magnan-type' and the 'dysthymic schizophrenias'. The present article presents the results of two recent nationwide investigations into French clinicians actual opinions and diagnostic practices in this field. It provides operational definitions based upon empirical diagnostic criteria and compares the two concepts with related concepts from other schools.

Adult↗

Eye-tracking patterns in schizophrenia. An analysis based on the incidence of saccades.

Saccades occurring when tracking a sine-wave target and when fixating a stationary target were studied in the following three groups: schizophrenics, other psychiatric inpatients, and normal controls. The frequency of saccades when tracking and when fixating was significantly greater among schizophrenics than among the two comparison groups. The pattern of occurrence of saccades within cycles of the sine movement was similar in the three groups; the greatest occurrence was at the highest target velocity and the lowest occurrence was at reversal points. The data are interpreted as consistent with the hypothesis of a failure on inhibiting mechanisms.

Adolescent↗