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Biomedical subjects

P Saarinen

Publications and source records attributed to P Saarinen.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

The effect of psychotropic drugs on the TSH-response to thyroliberin (TRH).

The effect of chlorpromazine (CPZ), thioridazine (TR), L-dopa, fusaric acid (FA), pimozide (PZ) and propranolol (P) in the i.v. thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test was studied in 75 subjects. It was found that chronic treatment with CPZ, TR and L-dopa inhibits the response to TRH. FA may to some extent counteract the effect of L-dopa. The results indicate that the response of the pituitary to TRH as regards the secretion of TSH is mainly regulated by norepinephrinergic alpha-receptors.

Chlorpromazine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors associated with alexithymia in patients suffering from depression.

BACKGROUND: We studied the factors associated with alexithymia in 137 depressed outpatients. METHODS: Diagnosis of depression was confirmed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R. Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Severity of depression was assessed using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory, and other psychiatric symptoms with the help of the Symptoms Checklist (SCL-90). Life satisfaction was also assessed with a structured scale. RESULTS: Almost half of the patients were considered alexithymic. They were significantly more often male, unmarried and had a lower education than the nonalexithymic patients. Alexithymic patients more often showed psychiatric symptoms (SCL-90) and were also more often severely depressed and dissatisfied with their life than were the other patients. Logistic regression analyses revealed that four factors were independently associated with alexithymia: male gender, a low level of education, low life satisfaction and severe depression. Sleep disturbances were independently associated with alexithymia in men and severe depression in women. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymia is very common among patients with depressive disorder. An awareness of these risk factors would be useful in improving the efficacy of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Is alexithymia a permanent feature in depressed patients? Results from a 6-month follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: A six-month follow-up study was conducted to determine whether alexithymia is a permanent feature in 169 depressed outpatients. METHODS: Diagnosis of depression was confirmed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-I). Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and severity of depression was assessed using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: Almost 40% of the patients were considered alexithymic at baseline, but only 23% at follow-up. Alexithymic patients were more often moderately or severely depressed than other patients in both study phases. The BDI scores explained 23% (at baseline) and 42% (at follow-up) of the variation in TAS-20 scores. The decrease in the TAS-20 scores was associated with a concurrent decrease in BDI scores. CONCLUSIONS: Alexithymic patients with depressive disorders do not appear to form a stable group. On the contrary, alexithymia seems to change as a function of depression. In the light of these results, alexithymia appears not to be a stable personality trait among depressed patients, and furthermore, it seems possible that alexithymic features respond to psychiatric treatment.

Adult↗